Tangled Fate
by alexxgilbert
Summary: [Book 2 in the Tangled Series] As if things weren't bad enough, Katherine and Vivienne have arrived in town and with them comes trouble. New enemies emerge, secrets are revealed, unexpected friendships will be forged and hearts will be broken. Will Louise and her loved ones make it out in one piece?
1. The Return

**A/N: So, here's the sequel to 'Tangled Web of Love'. If you're new here then I strongly recommend that go read that now. And if you're here because you've read 'Tangled Web of Love' then welcome back and thank you so much for supporting my story and sticking with me until this far. So, here's the first chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**The Return**

* * *

Inside the Gilbert's kitchen, after grabbing a bottle of water, John closed the refrigerator door. He is slightly startled when he sees who he thinks is his daughter, Elena but is really Katherine pretending to be Elena. "You scared me." John stated, startled by her presence.

"Sorry." Katherine replied before walking towards the sink to beginning mindless chores that she imagined her doppelganger would do.

"Is Jenna home?" John asked as he glanced over his shoulder into the quite house.

"She had to meet the fire chief about the building." The vampire told him, still keeping up her pretences. "She doesn't know the truth. They've covered it up."

"Yeah I know." John nodded. "How's Jeremy?"

Katherine's shoulders rose in a small shrug as she answered. "Holed up in his room."

"Can I help?" John asked with a small smile on his face as he moved towards the sink to grab some dishes.

The brunette's eyes caught the giant ring on his finger and a ghost smile pulled at her lips as she nodded. She passed him some cutlery before she gripped a large knife in her hand and brought it down on his fingers effectively removing his ring that brought him back to life after being killed by a supernatural species. Katherine shoved him back against the sinl.

John face painted with horror. "Katherine?!"

Katherine's eyes grew darker, the whites of them flooded with red and veins danced underneath. "Hello John, Goodbye John." She violently rammed the knife into his stomach before pulling out her phone and typing.

* * *

Moonlight was streaming through the curtains on Vivienne's nude body. Damon ran his fingers from her shoulder down to her hip, then back up again, taking in every detail of her olive skin. He couldn't belive she was here. 'Louise Gilbert' - the woman he had grown to love over the past year by his side like he had dreamed of. He nearly choked on the three words that automatically came to his mouth. He wouldn't say them...not just yet anyway.

His fingers played with the curls on her shoulder. After a moment her breathing became shallow and she shifted a little.

"You really aren't gonna let me sleep, are you?" she groaned as she grabbed a pillow and covered her face.

"Enough with the sleeping." he protested as he threw her pillow across the room and crawled on top of her.

"Yeah, like we've had any of that! Not that I mind." she replied with a hand on his chest. "I'm glad we've surpassed this friends thing but I need some sleep, Damon." It surprised her how well he was easily fooled. Maybe because he was so in love with this human girl, that he couldn't pinpoint the finer details that could tell Vivienne and Louise apart.

Damon silenced her with one finger. "I am too, Louise. You don't know how long I've waited for this." he whispered into her ear and she was thankful that he couldn't see the anger wash over her face at his statement. He cupped her breast with one hand while he kissed her neck slowly.

Vivienne wrapped her legs around him and shifted them both so he was now lying on his back. She leaned over but stopped at the sound of her phone going off in her jacket pocket on the floor. Talk about good timing. If he called her by doppelganger's name one more time she might actually blow her cover.

Jumping up, she fetched her phone. A small smile appeared on her lips as she read the message.

_It's done. I'll be waiting. _\- Katherine.

_I'm on my way._ \- Vivienne replied.

She began looking around for her clothes and a low groan escaped her lips as she stared at the rags that last night was a shirt. She opened a drawer and pulled out a black t-shirt.

"You won't miss this shirt, will you?" she questioned rhetorically as she pulled the fabric over her head.

Damon was behind now, grabbing her by the waist as he spoke into her neck. "Are you gonna come back to bed?"

"I have to meet up with my sister." she replied. She turned and stopped him from complaining with a kiss. "See you soon." With that she began to grab the rest of her stuff and left his room with a huge smug smirk on her lips. He first night back in town and she's already had Damon.

* * *

"I can't believe someone would take our stuff." Louise sighed as she made her way up the Gilbert's porch steps with Elena in towe.

"Are we sure we looked everywhere?" Elena questioned.

"Everywhere it would be." Louise replied, sticking her key into the door. She was exhausted and wired at the same time. She couldn't believe everything that's happened within the span of a day. Only this morning she was worried about the fact John is apparently her dad and now that pale comparison to the fact Caroline, Matt and Tyler were in a car accident resulting in Caroline ending up in the hospital. She needs to make sure Jeremy is okay before going to check on Caroline.

Louise entered the house behind Elena, the key stuck in the door and she yanked it free with one twist of her wrist before popping it in her pocket. She felt the pleasant air conditioning of the house hit her face and relishing in it as she leaned against the banister of the staircase.

"Jeremy? Are you up?" Elena called out. She was ready to make a second attempt at mending things with her brother. Stefan's pep talk at the grill of course helped.

A noise from the kitchen startled both brunettes, luckily Elena assumed Jeremy was in the kitchen for a late night snack and she wouldn't have to trudge up the stairs with her worn out legs. Louise and Elena both exchanged a look before they walked towards the light shining of the linoleum counters.

"Oh my God!" Elena's breathed as her and Louise froze at the kitchen entrance.

John's on the floor clutching onto his hand, blood; thick and dark seeping slowly across the hardwood floor and a bloody knife abandoned at his side. They moved quick, Elena grabbed a towel and try to put pressure on his hand, realising with a sickening feeling that his fingers are missing and there is second wound in his abdomen. While Louise grabbed the house phone which was thankfully nearby and quickly dialled 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

Louise's voice shook as she spoke into the phone in panicked tone. "Hi, I-I need an ambulance to 2104 Maple Street."

John's eyes widened as he saw Katherine watching on behind the girls. "Behind you." he managed to get out in whisper.

"What?" Elena asked.

"What did he say?" Louise questioned, covering the mouth piece of the phone.

"Behind you!" John spoke much louder.

Both brunettes whipped around, terrified but whoever or whatever was there is now gone. Louise's instincts kicked in a she grabbed the knife at John's side, realising too late she just put her fingerprints all over the knife that just cut off someone's fingers. She quickly moved from the kitchen to the foyer, holding out the knife in front of her. There's a noise causing her to turn around but no one was there. Seconds later, the front door slams shut.

A vampire was in their house. That was clear as day. The speed was certainly inhuman. Louise looked towards the door and her eyes flickered towards the stairs and she froze.

"Oh, no. Jeremy!" She dropped the knife and raced up the stairs to find her little brother unconscious on his bed. She grabbed his shoulders and began shaking him with as much force as possible and calling his name. With every passing second she was panicking.

After what seemed like forever, Jeremy let out a loud gasp as his eyes flew open.

* * *

Stefan arrived at the Gilbert's household right as they were wheeling from the house on a gurney. He made his way up the stairs and to the youngest Gilbert's room where Louise was pacing back and forth, Elena was perched on the end of Jeremy's bed as Jeremy lay propped up by the pillows.

"What happened?" Stefan asked looking between the twins.

"He said that Anna gave him her blood and then he took these pills," Elena explained as she moved to show her boyfriend the empty bottle of pills. "A-And now...I-I mean he looks fine but then again so do you. So, I just - I don't know."

Stefan tossed the pills to the side and reached forwards to grab Jeremy's face. "Come here. Look at me."

Jeremy tried to jerk his head away from his grasp. "I'm fine, okay?"

"Dammit, Jeremy. Just let him look!" Louise snapped.

"I feel exactly the same."

"Should I call a paramedic up here? What should I do?" Elena questioned. Stefan looked at Jeremy intently, trying to determine whether or not he was in the transition stage. After a moment, he shook his head.

"No, he's fine." Stefan said and both the twins sighed with relief while a disappointed look crossed Jeremy's face.

"You mean I'm _not_ a vampire? Damn it!" Jeremy cursed under his breath.

Elena turned to look at her brother in shock. "Don't say that Jeremy! Jer, why would you want that?"

With his brows knitted, Jeremy rose from his bed. "Did you hear about Anna, what happened to her tonight? She's dead." He looked over to Louise who bit her lip and sighed.

"Jeremy," Stefan rushed over to him and forced him back down onto the bed, his hands around his face to make him look at him. "Jeremy. Come here, sit down. I am very sorry about Anna, but it's very important that you listen to me right now. With every passing moment, Anna's blood is leaving your system. If you try to kill yourself right now, you could _really_ die." The vampire could see that Jeremy wasn't paying attention, so he slapped the kid lightly on his face, just enough to gain his attention again. "Hey! Do you understand me?!"

"Stefan..." Elena trailed off - worried about the intensity her boyfriend was exhibiting on her brother.

"No, needs a good slap." Louise uttered, her eyes never leaving Jeremy's.

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, I understand."

"Good." Stefan turned back to face the twins, frustration blazing in forest green his eyes.

"What about the pills that he took? Does he need to get his stomach pumped?" Louise looked towards her brother worriedly and Stefan shook his head.

"He didn't take enough to die so Anna's blood actually healed him of that."

Suddenly there was a knock on the doorframe of Jeremy's room and everyone turned to see a policeman. "Miss Gilbert?"

"We'll be right there."

"You two need to be at the hospital." Stefan insisted.

"But..." Elena nodded towards Jeremy's direction.

"No, no, no, I'll stay here with Jeremy."

"No, I don't need a babysitter." The youngest Gilbert protested from his seat on his bed.

"Yes, you do." Louise moved to grab her little brother by his chin, forcing him to look into her eyes. "The slap Stefan gave you was light. If you do anything stupid again, I won't hesitate into slapping you into next week. Understand?"

"Louise-"

"Understand?" she repeated.

"Yes." Jeremy breathed and Louise nodded as she pressed a small kiss on his temple.

* * *

The Gilbert twins found themselves running through the busy hospital hallways in search for a familiar face that would lead them to Caroline. They caught sight of their witch friend pacing just ahead and Bonnie immediately halted and turned to face them once she heard Elena's voice. "Bonnie. How's Caroline?"

"She's weak." Bonnie replied with a sorrow expression. "They don't know if she's going to make it."

Both the brunettes stood frozen at those words until Elena whispered under her breath. "What?" she asked in disbelief.

Caroline was one of their longest friends and to even hear a slight doubt from the doctors wasn't good. Louise sucked in a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair. "Is there something that you can do?" The witch's eyes flicked to Louise, confusion written all over her face. "Like a spell or something?" she added.

"She doesn't know how," A new voice said, Louise looked up and beside stood Damon. His icy blue eyes already staring down into her chocolate brown ones before they flicked towards Bonnie. "Do you?"

"No, I don't." Bonnie agreed reluctantly.

"No, you don't because it took Emily years to learn a spell like that." The annoyance in his voice did not go unnoticed. Damon was furious with the Bennett witch for lying to them about the Gilbert device. However, since she did save him, he decided not to kill her.

"Well, I can take down a vampire, that spell was easy to learn." Bonnie resorted with a lethal glare of her own.

Damon granted Bonnie a sarcastic smile before he turned to Louise and lower his voice. "I can give Caroline some blood."

"No, no way." Elena immediately snapped not giving Louise a chance to answer.

"No, just enough to heal her. She will be safe in the hospital and it will be out of her system in a day, she will be better."

"No." Louise shook her head in protest. "Elena's right. It's too risky, I can't agree to that."

"Do it." The surprising agreement came from Bonnie which captured the attention of Louise, Damon and Elena as they all turned their heads towards her. It definitely came at a surprise considering she hates vampires but she's willing to risk one of her best friends, Caroline becoming one. "This is _Caroline_. We can't let her _die_." She looked towards the vampire. "Do it."

"If I do this, you and me, call a truce?" Damon proposed.

"No." Bonnie declined shaking her head and Damon frowned. "But you'll do it anyway. For Louise."

Damon didn't respond as he stared down at the witch who wore a winning smile. She had beaten him and he didn't like that one bit. Elena cleared her throat and grabbed Bonnie's hand to drag her way from the tension, leaving Damon and Louise alone.

"Listen," Damon began, gaining Louise's attention. "I know this is bad timing but we should talk about what happened tonight."

"Yeah," Louise agreed. "One of the tomb vampires got into the house and almost killed John."

Damon did a double take. That as certain not what he was expecting to hear. "What? When? What are you talking about? After you left my place?"

"I wasn't at your place." The brunette shook her head.

The vampire rolled his eyes. Why was she playing this came with him. "Come on, Louise, you know you were." He lowered his voice.

Louise furrowed her brows in confusion. "When was I at your house?"

"_Really?" _he questioned now a little irritated. "Earlier? In my bed?" he offered trying to drag her memory but it was useless. "We...you know, we exposed our feelings. Come on, we had _sex_, Louise." he hissed.

"What?" Louise asked, the immediate shock plastered on her face. She ran a hand through her hair. "You know what, Damon. I don't have time for this."

"Don't play dumb with me, Louise." Damon lightly gripped her arm as she went to walk past him. Louise gasped as everything began spinning and his voice started to fade out as she was pulled into a vision.

_Vivienne straddled Damon's waist as she sat on him, hands placed on either side of his face, bringing his face closed and pressing the gentlest kiss on his lips. He pulled back from the kiss, he moved to tuck a curl behind her ear as he searched her face for - well he wasn't sure what for. He tentatively connected their lips once more, gentle at first before allowing it to grow more heated._

_This time it was Vivienne who pulled away as she pushed him back, his back hitting the mattress with a bucking force as he was practically thrown. His breathing was heavy and laboured as his eyes darkened to see her body connect with his instant again._

_Open kisses laced down his sculpted chest and torso causing a groan to escape his mouth. His eyes fluttered closed as he became mesmerised in the realisation that he was actually being intimate with 'Louise Gilbert'. When reached the bottom of his stomach she stopped before moving all the way back up to his chest. Her brown eyes peered up at him and his crystallised ones opened to stare right back at her, darkening as his heightened emotion of his hunger and desire for her came to life._

_Vivienne's eyes fixed directly into Damon's as she slowly lifted her face from his chest. Hovering over him, she leant down, fusing her lips with his in a frenzied and passion-filled kiss._

Louise let out a loud gasp as she was brought back to reality, her eyes readjusting to her surroundings. Damon knew that look all too well.

"What did you see?" he questioned.

She shook her head. A light bulb went off in her head and suddenly everything started to piece itself together. Damon thought they slept together but she knew they didn't...but someone identical to her did. Vivienne. "Unbelievable." she muttered. Damon watched as Louise went through every colour of the rainbow until a furious bright crimson set in. "You slept with her?!"

Damon creased his brows in confusion but before he could say anything they were joined by Elena and a frustrated Jenna.

"Lou, did Jenna tell us she went to the fire department to fill out a report?" Elena questioned.

Louise turned her attention to her aunt, shaking her head. "No."

Jenna blinked at her in confusion. "Yes, I did. I told you both earlier." Jenna said slowly trying to get either twin to recall the conversation. Louise and Elena both exchanged a confused glanced before turning back to Jenna who sighed. "After Louise came back inside from talking to him," She shot a nasty look in Damon's direction then turned back to Elena and Louise. "I told you both, I was going to the fire department."

"No, Jenna, you didn't." Elena insisted.

"Yes, I did."

As the girls argued about whether Jenna told them where she was going, all the pieces started to fall into place. Louise and Elena weren't suffering from a bad case of amnesia - certain sisters were back in town. "You've got to be kidding me." Damon muttered under his breath. Vivienne is apparently back in town like years ago and her main source of entertainment was screwing to Damon. _God, I should have known._ Damon thought to himself.

* * *

Stefan stood over a sleeping Jeremy. He paced back and forth somewhat like a guard until he heard the creak of the door downstairs opening. The vampire left his post at his bed to go down the stairs to meet who he thought was his girlfriend as she walked through the door with a frown on her face.

"Hey! How was Caroline?" he asked as he accepted the embrace she instigated.

"Not good. But this is_ just_ what I needed." she murmured into his shoulder. She pulled away from the embrace, moving her head forward to plant a kiss on his lips. Suddenly, her head is being yanked by her curls and Stefan's fangs elongated in attack. With a loud growl, Stefan hurled her into the living room onto the couch and she was back on her feet in no time, facing Stefan.

"Katherine." Stefan snarled.

"At least one brother was fooled." Katherine wore a devilish smirk. Stefan immediately rushed over to her, his hand wrapping around her throat before he slammed her against a wall. He growled again but Katherine didn't flinch. "Feel better?"

Again, Stefan growled, flashing them across the room and her back pressed against the wall. He soon got distracted by the sound of the key inside the door. Katherine then took this opportunity to pull his am and twist it back so she flipped the younger vampire onto the floor. She grinned before she fled from the house.

Stefan fixed his arm as Louise, Damon and Elena walked through the front door and he rose from the floor.

Elena rushed to his side, putting her hand on his shoulder once he's fully standing and looked at him with concern. "Stefan? What happened?" she asked.

"Katherine and Vivienne happened." Damon stated.

Louise along with the Salvatore brothers had moved towards the kitchen while Elena went upstairs to check on Jeremy. Louise shook her head as she hugged her arms while leaning against the wall, Damon is leant against the kitchen bar and Stefan is pacing back and forth.

"Did Katherine say what she wanted?" Damon questioned his brother.

Stefan shook his head. "No."

"Her and her sister certainly know how to make an entrance." Damon murmured to himself and Stefan continued to pace.

"She said at least one brother was fooled." Stefan's eyebrows knitted together as he tried to figure that out. "What does that mean?"

Damon hesitated for a second before carefully saying; "Vivienne pretended to be Louise when I showed up earlier tonight." He couldn't help but frown at that. When he thought he had finally gotten somewhere with Louise but turns out it was Vivienne. Of course.

"Unbelievable how _you_ of all people didn't recognise her." Louise scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "I mean didn't you notice the change of clothing? Or maybe that fact she wasn't wearing my necklace?"

"I wasn't really looking at her clothes."

"Of course you weren't." Louise tore her gaze away from him.

"What does she mean?" Stefan questioned, his eyes darting between the pair. Louise looked over to him and merely cocked an eyebrow but before either her or Damon could reply the eldest Gilbert entered the room.

"I told Jeremy, I can't lie to him anymore." Elena announced meeting her twin's gaze.

"I'm glad - no more secrets" Louise nodded. Jeremy didn't deserve to be kept in the dark, never mind his memories getting erased especially not at the cost of him hating his sisters.

"Are you alright?" Stefan asked, as he moved to stand at his girlfriend's side.

Elena looked at him, dazed for a second. "No, I'm not alright. I thought that with all the tomb vampires gone things would get better."

"I know. We all did."

"Both Katherine and Vivienne were in this house," Elena suddenly realised as she looked around at everyone in the room worriedly. Stefan put his hand on the small of her back. "That means they've been invited in, what are we gonna do?"

"Move." Damon unhelpfully suggested. Louise shot him an unamused glare.

"Very helpful, thank you." Elena replied sarcastically, moving to sit at the table, leaning her elbows on it.

"Vivienne or Katherine wants you dead; there's _zero_ you can do about it; you would be dead but you're not." Damon looked over to Louise. "And neither are you...so clearly they have other plans"

"Right and we need to find out what those other plans are and not provoke them in the process." Stefan said sending a warning glare towards his brother. "What happened tonight when you thought Vivienne was Louise?"

Elena perked up at this question, curious. Louise looked over to the vampire to see how he would respond.

"To risk another frown line encroaching on a very crowded forehead. We...had sex."

Silence filled the room. If a pin was to drop, it would echo. There was a mixed shock from both Stefan and Elena as they stared at the vampire. They were both trying to comprehend, to analyse Damon's statement.

"And you thought it was Louise?" "What do you mean you kissed?" Stefan and Elena's questions overlapping as they spoke at the same time.

"Well, you know, when two lips pucker and they go," Damon puckered his lips, making kissing noised. "And they take it further by stripping clothes-" In a blink, Stefan now stood where Damon had been and the eldest Salvatore now stood beside an annoyed Louise. "Don't be obvious, Stefan." he taunted.

From his stance, Louise noticed Stefan tense up, his muscles clenching as he was ready to charge at his brother again.

"Give it a rest, Damon." Louise sighed as she moved effectively placing herself between the brothers with her back to Damon. "He had sex with Vivienne, not me. We don't have time for this guys."

"Later." Stefan replied and Damon just nodded.

Elena rolled her eyes at the two brothers before she spoke out loud. "John must know something. There has to be a reason why Katherine tried to kill him."

"She's Katherine." Damon stated as he walked across the kitchen to the exist and spun around, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe. "She loves to play games like her sister and you're fooling yourself if you think you're going to find out what they been up to before either one wants you to know.

"No, actually Elena's right," Stefan intervened. "John could know something through Isobel. Your mother, she was in touch with both of them so maybe we can go to the hospital and get him to talk." he suggested.

"I've got a better idea." Damon mumbled.

"Enlighten us then." Louise suggested.

"I'm just gonna ignore the bitch." Damon smirked as he turned to walk out. "See you."

"Is that smart?" Elena questioned.

"If Vivienne thinks she's been ignored it will lure her out, she'll make a move."

"Yeah? And then what?" Stefan questioned sarcastically.

"Stake her, rip her head off and repeat for her sister. Something poetic. We'll see." Damon replied with nonchalance but Stefan wasn't fooled. He could see it perfectly in his brother's eyes. Vivienne's return had rattled him more than he was letting on.

* * *

"Damon isn't that much older than me." Louise stated. Well looks wise anyway she thought and the corner of her lips tucked up at that thought.

It was the next morning and while she sat in the kitchen having breakfast, her aunt Jenna was lecturing her about Damon. After witnessing Vivienne and Damon making out on the porch. Until now, Jenna had always emulated the role of the 'cool' aunt. Instead she was becoming more motherly as she nagged Louise on her 'poor decision making' and 'choice in men'.

"Louise, you're young - I get it." Jenna sighed. "But you can't let some pretty boy sway you merely on looks. You're still in school and he is a grown man. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Damon and I are just friends." Louise assured her.

"I've seen the way he looks at you. Whether you want to be friends or not, he wants more." Jenna explained. "I know his type. I've dated his type."

"We're friends." The brunette stated once again.

"I don't know. You two looked quite cosy the other night."

After her talk with Jenna; Louise headed to the hospital with Stefan and Elena to see John. The visit with him wasn't enlightening. He didn't have anything productive to say, only made it clear he'll be continuing on his hate-filled journey to end all vampires. His expression made it clear that he felt only disappointment towards his daughters and the feeling was mutual. Stefan ended up threatening him once both Elena and Louise had left the room - trying to get John to leave town and the girls were completely okay with that.

Even though John was in a foul mood, Caroline seemed to be doing much better. She was fast asleep when they had arrived at the hospital but Matt said she improved remarkably. The word he used was 'miraculous' and Louise, Elena and Stefan all exchanged looks at that word. Louise, nor Elena was on board with Damon giving Caroline vampire blood but seeing her sleep peacefully and healthy, it was all worth it.

"We just have to swing by home to pick up Jenna and Jeremy so we can go to the Lockwoods'." Elena told her boyfriend as they all walked towards the car. "Are you coming too?"

"I'm going to head that way right one, I have to find Damon." Stefan answered. Louise tried to ignore the quickened beat of her heart and focus on what Stefan was saying. "He's up to something; trying to figure out why the Gilbert device affect Tyler and the Mayor."

* * *

Vivienne Peirce wore a black shirt that hugged her body nicely. She fixed her blood red jacket that she paired with black skinny jeans, black heeled boots. Next to her, Katherine wore all black head to toe, with a pair of matching heeled boots. As they walked up to the entrance of the Lockwood mansion, their heels clicked against the pavement rhythmically. Tyler Lockwood immediately spotted them and came to greet them.

He grabbed Katherine's hand before he took Vivienne's in appreciation. He obviously invited them in, thinking they were the Gilbert twins. It was too easy.

Vivienne and Katherine separated for the time being to have a look around. Vivienne spotted Damon talking to Liz and Carol and decided to stay out his sight for now. She moved outside and stood on the front porch, looking out for her doppelganger. She flicked her curls from her face as she stared out at the lawn. The corners of her lips twitched into a small smirk. No one could see the vengeful excitement in her eyes.

A few minutes later, Bonnie Bennett rushed over to her, mistaking her for Louise. "Oh my god! Damon drives me crazy. He's walking around like he's some kind of hero for healing Caroline when it's his fault all of this happened in the first place." Everything came out her mouth like a waterfall and Vivienne resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"I'm sorry Bonnie." Vivienne replied softly, eyeing the witch carefully. "What Damon's done is just awful."

"Okay, better. Hateful Damon moment over." Bonnie laughed and reached to touch Vivienne's arm. She immediately froze when she caught the same feeling of death just like the first time she touch Stefan. Gasping, her eyes widened slightly but she tried her best to keep calm. "I've got to find Tyler and pay my respects. I'll be back." Bonnie said, fear clear as day in her eyes.

"Okay." Vivienne smiled at her realising the witch had figured out she wasn't her doppelganger. She knew her smile was more of a menacing grin and she was perfectly fine with that as she watched the Bennett witch rush into the building.

Bonnie rushed into one of the empty room, fishing through her pocket for her phone. She quickly dialled Louise and Bonnie's mouth hung open upon hearing her best friend say she wasn't even at the wake as of yet. The witch hung up the phone and turned gasping seeing Katherine Pierce standing before her. Right behind her, Vivienne sauntered into the room, her steps confident but quite.

Katherine tilted her head as she eyed the witch then smiled at her. "We haven't officially met. I'm Katherine and this is Vivienne." she introduced. Vivienne flipped her long chocolate curls over her shoulder and smile almost kindly at Bonnie.

Bonnie glared at them, trying to look braver than she felt. "I know who you are."

"Of course you do." Vivienne giggled. The same one Louise had but this one was more deadly. Bonnie watched her carefully as she moved to the opposite side. Vivienne turned and pointed at her. "You're the best friend right? We've been putting all the pieces of Louise and Elena's lives together. Isobel said it was of a puzzle. I do know who Jenna and Jeremy are..."

"And I met that delicious ex-boyfriend Matt, who's sweet on Caroline." Katherine added with a bit of a giggle.

"And then there's you," Vivienne pointed. "the vampire-hating Bennett witch. Did I do good?" she questioned mocking her.

Bonnie attempted to escape the room but Katherine stepped in her way, tasking at her failed attempt. The witch turned but was face with devilish grin from Vivienne. Narrowing her eyes, starting her spell. Vivienne grabbed her head, rather surprised by the pain but it didn't last long. It was light a tiny headache, easily ignored.

"I've been around a long time Bonnie; you're gonna have to do better than that." Vivienne warned her before she snarled in irritation, grabbing Bonnie by the throat and slammed her against a wall. Her face morphed into her vampire self and she smirk maliciously.

Bonnie was quick to think on her face and the door flew open to expose them to the other guests. Vivienne's face immediately reverted back to human features.

"Nice." Vivienne nodded impressed. She then felt the presence of someone and just outside the doorway, she peered her head around. "Stefan. It's been too long."

"Vivienne." Stefan replied, his voice blunt. He turned to her sister. "Katherine."

"Stefan." Katherine smiled.

He returned his attention back to Vivienne who still had a hold of Bonnie. "Leave her alone."

"Okay." Vivienne shrugged releasing Bonnie and walked towards him, stopping once she was right in front of him. She smiled playfully at him. "Won't you keep us company?" Stefan looked between the pair of vampire sisters before he sighed, gesturing with his hand for them to precede him.

Katherine followed her sister out the main room, her finger tracing across Stefan's chest as she passed him.

"What are you both doing here?" Stefan questioned, his hand firmly behind his back.

"After the way you treated me last night, Vivienne and I thought that a public place would be less violent..." Katherine answered shrugging, seeing a smirk crawl on her sister's face.

"You're taking this a little far, don't you think?" Stefan questioned. "Elena and Louise could walk in at any moment."

"Mmm, but that's part of the fun, Stefan." Vivienne took a glass of champagne from a nearby tray and sipped the bubbly drink. "Damon's here, somewhere. Tell me, he's not mad at me, is he? It's not my fault he thought I was Louise - which I thought was ever so rude by the way..."

Stefan rolled her eyes and Katherine grinned at her sister. She picked up a cherry and popped it in her mouth but took it out once she saw Matt approaching.

"Hey guys." Matt smiled. Vivienne smiled, shaking her head slightly. Yet another person that mistook them for Louise and Elena.

"Hey Matt. I heard that Caroline is doing much better. Her recovery was practically miraculous, you must be so relieved." Katherine said, making a good impression of Elena's sympatric voice.

"I am. Thanks Elena." Matt nodded before leaving.

"Uh! His eyes are so blue!" Katherine gushed over the Donovan boy. Vivienne giggled along with her sister.

"You need to leave now."

Katherine pouted. "You're hurting my feelings, Stefan. Damon was much happier to see Vivienne, then again he thought she was your girlfriend's sister so..."

Stefan's green eyes narrowed into a glare. "I'm not doing this with you."

Katherine raised her hand a little, in attempt to calm him. "Okay, how about we don't have a couple's fight in front of all of your friends? Walk with me." She extender her hand for him to take it but he didn't.

"You, know this is awkward for me to be around, seeing as I have no date." Vivienne pouted, gaining the couple's attention. "So, I'm going to go." She batted her eyelashes, giving Stefan a smile. "Lovely to see you, Stefan. If you see your brother; tell him I said hi." Darting her eyes towards her sister. "Be good now, sister." With that there was a whoosh and she was gone.

"Just tell me what you're both doing here." Stefan questioned again.

"Maybe I missed you. Is that an acceptable reason?"

Stefan squinted his eyes at her, suspiciously. "What game are you playing?"

"Why, you want to play with me?" Katherine giggled, biting her bottom lip playfully.

"No rules, Stefan. Don't you remember? No rules."

Katherine walked past her before glancing her shoulder and held out her hand. Stefan walked right past her, ignoring her silent request to hold hands and Katherine rolled her eyes, dropping her hand and followed after him.

* * *

Elena pulled up at the Gilbert's resistant, while she stayed in the car, Louise dashed in the house and grabbed the sympathy casserole Jenna had made before heading back to the car with her and Jeremy on her heels. They were running late; the trip to the hospital took more time than she had anticipated.

"We're late."

"Thanks for the update, Jeremy" Louise said sarcastically, shooting a look towards her brother. Just as they reached the car her phone rang and it's Bonnie. She pulled the phone to her ear; "Bonnie, I know I'm late. I'm getting in the car now. I'll be there in five." Louise hung up before the Gilberts all jumped into the car and headed to the Lockwood's.

"Looks like the whole town has turned out." Jenna noted looking around at everyone attending once they made it to the front of the Lockwood mansion.

"Yeah. Well he is...he was the mayor." Elena grinned in her direction and her aunt slapped her arm playfully.

"Why don't they save it for the funeral?" The youngest Gilbert questioned.

"That's what people do." Jenna stated. "The Lockwoods were here for us when we went through this. It'll be quick; we'll drop off the food and pay our respects and go."

Jeremy nodded. "In and out? It sounds like a plan."

Louise spotted Damon on the front porch, drinking. What a surprise. The sun reflected off his eyes, making them brighter - something that she didn't imagine was possible - and setting them in contrast with his dark hair and clothing. He caught her eye and smiled slightly.

"You guys go ahead, I'll be right there, okay?" Louise told her family, shoving the casserole in Elena's hands. She didn't bother waiting for an answer as she walked towards the vampire. "Damon," She sounded a little breathless, even to herself.

"Louise," His eyes followed her up and down making her shift a little. "How did your trip with Stefan go? Papa John have anything to say?" He chuckled a little at his own joke and Louise couldn't help but smile too.

"We didn't learn anything new." Louise explained and sighed. "John refuses to trust us and Stefan ended up threatening him to leave town."

Damon raised his eye brows. "Wow. I didn't think he'd have it in him."

The brunette crossed her arms and eyed the vampire with her innocent doe eyes. "Anyways...how are you doing?" she asked, sceptically almost afraid to ask the question.

"Great, Louise. Walking on the sunshine, thanks for asking."

"Damon..."

"Louise." he resorted giving her a look. She frowned again, not amused at his theatrics.

"Damon, I'm serious." Louise stepped forward, her hand touching his arm gently. Damon brought his glass of alcohol to his lips and began drinking. "Talk to me."

Damon looked out at the people on the lawn and pursed his lips. "I had sex with you; I thought it was really you under the covers with me. Doppelgänger hijinks ensued. How do you think I'm doing?" he questioned with a sharp edge to his voice and turned to look at her.

"I think that you're _hurt_."

"No, I don't get hurt, Louise."

Louise looked at him with knowing eyes. "No, you don't _admit_ that you get hurt. You get angry and cover it up and then you do something _stupid_." she told him as if she was laying out his next move.

His smirk disappeared as he tried to think of a comeback. Once he finally thought of one, a slight smile tugged at his lips. "You're scared." he stated. "You think Vivienne is gonna send me off the deep end, don't you?" When she avoided eye contact and didn't respond, he knew he was right. He put his finger under her chin, lifting it to make her look at him. "I don't need her for that." He let her go before turning to leave but he wasn't quite through yet. "You know, why - why is it such a surprise that I would want to have sex with you?" he questioned, clearly confused. "All we did before; those flirty little comments, kisses and longing touching.."

"That's not a surprise." Louise shook her head. Damon raised an eyebrow and focused his attention as she continued. "I'm surprised that you think I would just jump into bed with you. That you think I'm that easy, that you can get me that easily."

Damon swallowed and tensed. He went silent for a second before he responded. "Now I'm hurt." He turned but before he could make a dramatic exist Bonnie ran over to them.

"Louise!" The witch gasped.

"Bonnie, what happened?" Louise questioned, concerned.

"Katherine and Vivienne are here."

* * *

By the time they reached Stefan, Katherine had gone but not before she did some damage by stabbing him with an iron rod. Elena grabbed the tissues from her purse and dabbed at the wound to clear away the blood. The effort was wasted though. The wound practically healed before she could clean it thoroughly.

"I tried to track her but she's gone." Damon announced from behind Louise and she made a conscious effort not to look at him. Seeing Stefan's exposed torso, Damon cringed and closed his eyes. "Oooh, cover up, Fabio." Stefan pulled his shirt down. "We got a crazy ex on the loose." He smirked down at Elena. "You better watch out, looks like Katherine is trying to _steal your guy_."

Louise finally looked over at the eldest Salvatore only to glare at him. "Damon." she hissed.

"I'd watch out if I was you - Vivienne doesn't like competition." Damon grinned at her.

"That's not what's happening." Stefan told both twins confidently.

"Isn't it?" Damon questioned. I mean it's only fair since I went after the girl you try so hard to protect from me." He was trying to get at Stefan. Both the Gilbert girls looked between the brothers awkwardly and Louise cleared her throat, looking at her sister.

"Erm, Elena...we should go check on Jenna and Jeremy." Elena nodded, grabbing her purse and got up from the bench. "Let me know when Damon stops being an ass." Louise hissed and turned to leave. Elena sighed and followed after her.

Sure enough once both brunettes were out of ear shot, Damon turned to his brother. "So what's it gonna be huh? Fight to the death?" He got into a boxing pose, pretending to punch with his boxed fists and Stefan snorted. "Go ahead, make your threats, stake your claim."

Stefan looked up at him and shook his head. "I'm not gonna fight you."

"Why?!" Damon complained, dropping his hands as he returned to a normal standing position. "I'd fight me."

"Katherine and Vivienne are gonna try to play us against each other, you _do_ know that right?" Stefan reminded him.

"Brother, don't you worry, our bond is unbreakable." The sarcasm oozed from Damon's statement.

"We need to stay united against them." Stefan said getting up from his seat on the bench. "So yes, as much as I would like to kill you, I'm not gonna fight you." He shook his head.

But Damon sought out a fight and he was gonna get one. "I had sex with Louise."

"Because you feel something for her," Stefan spun around, announcing the obvious truth. "Because you actually _care_ and I'm not gonna let Vivienne come in here and destroy that part of you that is finally, after all of this time, willing to feel something." Damon turned his head to look eyes with his brother. Stefan stepped forward and continued talking. "She will try to break you, they will try to break us and how we respond to that will define us. It's our choice." A moment of silent passed. "So no, I'm not gonna fight you."

When Damon said nothing, Stefan brushed pass him and left.

* * *

"Louise. Lou - will you slow down." Elena called breathlessly as she finally caught up with her sister, grabbing her arm making her halt. "What going with you?"

"Nothing." Louise replied. She winched slightly at her defensive her voice sounded and knew Elena heard it too when she sighed.

"What's going on with you and Damon?" Elena asked, lowering her voice slightly as she leaned forward towards her sister. "It's clear you have feeling for him. And it's pretty clear he has feeling for you too."

Elena was aware the elder Salvatore felt something towards Louise. The look on his face at the sight of her sister gave away everything. The way he seemed to have eyes only for her sister when she's around. The small gestures like kind smiles that were reserved only for her, the look of care and kindness.

"I don't know." Louise said honestly as she ran her hand through her hair. Elena lifted a hand and gently rubbed Louise's arm in comfort. She could tell the situation with Damon was really getting to her.

"Bonnie was right. You're in love with him, aren't you?" Elena asked softly, wondering if her sister would trust her enough to admit something that she could see with her own eyes. Louise closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Was it obvious? If both Bonnie and Elena could tell, could Damon?

Opening her eyes, she met Elena's dark gaze but remained silence, the look alone answered her question. She waited for the inevitable tirade from her sister of reasons she shouldn't be in love with Damon. But they never came. Louise's eyes widened slightly as Elena pulled her into a tight hug. It last for a while and when Elena eventually pulled back, she reached up to cup her sister's cheek.

"I've never thought the best of Damon but if _you_ can be in love with someone like him - he must have some redeeming qualities." she said with a small smile and Louise slightly smiled too. "And remember if you need to talk. I'm here. _Always_."

* * *

Later that evening, Damon entered the Boarding House, walked into the living room and went straight for his bourbon. He moved to go to his room, he felt a presence inside the house. He didn't even have to look to know who it was - he would recognise that scent anywhere.

"Very brave of you to come here." Damon growled as he turned to face Vivienne, sitting on the couch, her had on rested on the back while her feet were placed on the coffee table.

She shrugged. "I wanted to say goodbye."

"Leaving so soon?" Damon questioned pretending not to care but she could see right through him.

Vivienne titled her head. "I know where I'm not wanted."

"Don't pout." Damon chided. "It's not attractive on a woman your age." He moved the glass of bourbon to his lips and downed it, watching as Vivienne scoffed playfully.

"Ouch." Damon set the class he drained down on the table and turned to ignore his former lover to go upstairs but she stopped as she appeared in front of him. "What, do I not even get a goodbye kiss?" she taunted.

"Why don't I kill you instead?" Damon shot back. Vivienne just chuckled, she wasn't afraid and he could tell so he continued. "What are you doing here?"

"Nostalgia, curiosity, et cetera." Of course he would not get a straight answer. Vivienne wouldn't tell her plans to anyone - especially not him.

Damon shook his head. "I'm better at the enigmatic one-liners, Vivienne. What are you up to?"

"Trust me Damon, when I'm up to something, you'll know it." If he trusted anything she said, it would be that. Vivienne merely stepped forward and changed the subject. "Come on. Kiss me. Or kill me. Which will it be, Damon?" Damon tried to moved back but Vivienne was relentless. "We both know that you're only capable of one."

She inched closer towards his lips. She was getting under his skin. She was breaking all his carefully constructed walls and the wort part was she knew it. She knew it all. She knew how much he loved her. She knew he had missed her for 145 years and where he was the whole time. She knew how to get to him because knew him. Every part of him.

He turned and walked away but she rushed in front of him and knocked him to the floor. Damon landed with a thud and a light groan as Vivienne leaned on top of him. Her hands began roaming over his chest area that was covered with his black button down shirt. Her chestnut curls fell over them as she moved closer to him, her lips at his ear.

"My sweet, innocent Damon."

He gripped her neck and in a split second he's on top of her, his hand pressing into her throat. He stared down at her with murderous eyes. For a moment he could see the curiosity in her eyes and Damon knew he couldn't do it.

He did it anyway. Damon moved down to smash his lips against Vivienne's in a fiery and sloppy kiss. It had been so different to their earlier kissing being as he thought he was locking lips with Louise Gilbert. But now he knew he was kissing Vivienne Pierce. She kissed him back eagerly and purred under her breath. "That's more like it."

But he was weak and he couldn't stop no matter how much he wanted to. Vivienne pushed the weaker vampire against the wall, ripping open his shirt and clawed desperately at his exposed chest before quickly pulling her lips back to his. He threw her down against a nearby table, knocking a pile of books off in the process. His lips tasted her skin, moving to her chest then back up to her cheek. But he knew he had to stop - it couldn't be like this.

"Okay, wait," Damon pleaded against her jaw causing Vivienne's eyes to snap open. "Brief pause." With the strength she used to push him off her, he knew she was not pleased with the pause.

"I have a question. Answer it and it's back to fireworks and rockets red glare. Answer it right and I'll forget the last one hundred and forty five years that I've spent missing you. I'll forget how much I loved you, I'll forget everything and we can start over. This could be our defining moment because we have the time. That's the beauty of eternity." He stepped forwards and placed his hands around Vivienne's face, moving her dark curls. "I just need the truth, just once-"

"Stop." Vivienne placed a finger on his lips as she shook her head. "I already know your question and its answer." He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "The truth is...I've never loved you." The words hit him hard and stopped cherishing her skin. He stared at her speechless. "You were just a play toy for me, Damon."

Vivienne had never admitted it out loud but back in 1864, she had kept Damon around due to the fact she had grown fond of him - maybe even fell in love with him. He was a great cure for her boredom while her sister was off with the other Salvatore. Damon worshiped her, he was a good boost to her ego but that had all changed now he's besotted with her doppelganger. She had to burst his bubble, knowing how hot-headed and reckless he is, that would send him straight to Louise and he would end up doing something he will surely regret afterwards.

Vivienne did nothing more but release his hands and walk out the boarding house.

* * *

Louise nearly jumped out her skin when she saw Damon sitting on the edge of her bed. He was slumped over slightly and he was staring off into space at nothing. When he felt her presence he turned to look her way. No smirk graced his lovely face and his captivating blue eyes looked bloodshot.

"You scared me," Louise rasped, her hand placed over her heart to calm her rapidly beating heartbeat. "Why are you here? I didn't hear you come in."

"Just doing my art in the neighbourhood watch." Damon replied dully.

She really looked him over, his midnight black hair was dishelmed and his clothes looked jumbled. She knew he had been drinking from the strong scent of alcohol coming off him. She knew Vivienne's return played a part and what she had told him, about being surprised at the fact she would jump into bed with him. He looked in a bad way. She hated seeing him like this. The only other time she'd seen him this way was when he found out Vivienne wasn't in the tomb.

"Thanks for looking out for us - for me," Louise said gratefully, smiling at him.

"That's me. The trusted bodyguard." Damon drawled. "Calm in a crisis."

"You've been drinking?" Louise asked although it was more of a statement as she already knew the answer. The vampire held up his hand, making a gesture with his thumb and index finger. "And you're upset, that's not a good combination." She shook her head.

"No, I'm not upset." he replied in denial. "Upset is an emotion specified to those who care."

"I thought we were passed this, you can't fool me." Louise said. "You care, Damon. I like to think we're close enough friends so you can tell me anything."

"Vivienne came to see me." Damon said. Louise wasn't happy to hear this but she didn't say anything although she knew that her facial expression showed her displeasure. "Said she wanted to say goodbye."

"And?" she asked impatiently. She wanted to hear the rest.

"She asked if I wanted to kiss or kill her," he explained. "I tried, Louise. God, I tried to resist her but my control was useless when it came to her."

"What happened next?" Louise asked but she had a feeling she wasn't gonna like the answer.

"You should know what happned next." Damon said. "We started kissing and clothes were ripped off."

"My God, Damon, don't tell me you slept with her again?!" Louise questioned in disbelief. "After everything she's pulled and how she treated you."

"Don't be absurd, Louise. I'm not stupid."

"But you were gonna have sex with her?"

"I wasn't gonna go through with it." Damon said defensively. "It was just the heat of the moment." he explained but she wasn't convinced.

Louise crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at the vampire. "Then what happened if you didn't sleep together?"

"I just wanted to know the truth." he admitted. "I told her I'll forget the last one hundred and forty-five years I spent missing her and loving her. I'll forget everything and we could start over." Louise frowned. "And her answer was that she never loved me."

"Damon, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I'm over her." Damon said truthfully and from the look in his eyes he was dead serious. "That was the last straw for me. It finally opened my eyes to see her for who she really is."

"I hope you really mean that."

"Enough about Vivienne." he said. "Let's talk about us."

Louise shifted uncomfortable in her spot. "Let's not." she said nervously.

"We need to talk about last night." he said rising from the bed and taking one solid step towards her.

"There's nothing to talk about, that was Vivienne." she replied hurriedly.

"And you know that's not what I'm talking about." He took another step closer. "I wouldn't have believed it was you if there wasn't something going on between us." She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out and he continued. "Do you want to know what I said to Vivienne last night? What I thought was the one reason you could possibly understand what's going on in my head right now?"

Louise stood wordlessly knowing he was going to tell her no matter what she said.

"I know you care about me," Damon stated, still stepping closer. "Because you wouldn't have let Stefan go back for me. I know it wasn't Bonnie's idea and it sure as hell wasn't Elena's, to send my brother in after me. It was you." He took another step and now there was only inches between them. She felt the cold radiating off his skin. "I came by to say thank you, last night."

"You're welcome." Was all she said because right now her heart was beating so fast she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I should have known it wasn't you, last night." Damon said, his voice dropping.

"Yes you should have because-"

"I should have known." he repeated, cutting her off. "Because whenever I'm near you, I can hear your heart racing. If you don't care at all why is you heart beating so fast?" he asked running two fingers over the point on her neck where her pulse jumped again at his touch.

She turned her head away as he leaned into her and his lips brushed past her cheek, his breath brushing past her ear and her spine went numb.

"Because you make me nervous." Louise stated, trying to keep her voice steady as possible.

"You're a liar, Louise. There is something going on between the two of us and you know it. And you're lying to me, you're lying to Stefan and Elena but most of all you're lying to yourself." As he spoke his words slid over neck as he leaned down. She tried to pull away but his hand cupped her face, half tenderly - half in a way that terriefied her.

"Damon," she whispered. "I-"

Without warning, his lips caught hers in the same gentle way he had touched Vivienne's the night before. Gentle enough to pull away but forceful enough to show he wanted to claim her as his own. He pulled back just enough so their lips still brushed as he looked into her eyes.

How could he have mistaken Vivienne for Louise?

She was warm, whereas Vivienne had been cold. She was delicate in away that made him want to protect her. Tender where Vivienne had been domineeringly controlling.

Still holding her face, Damon moved forward again and crushed his lips down onto hers and like before she didn't resist. He kissed her with such intensity and she kissed him back with urgency. He was igniting a fire inside her body. She could feel the walls she's been building around her heart falling down, she could feel herself getting lost in Damon - how he felt, how he smelt - when images of him and Vivienne flashed into her mind and she gasped dragging her lips from Damon's.

Her lips were slightly swollen and tingling from his kissing. He stared down at her, his icy blue eyes ablaze. He was reaching for her again.

"No, no. Damon don't." Louise said hoarsely and shook her head. "This isn't right." Her hands clapped down on both of his hands to hold him at bay. "Vivienne rejected you and you're upset. It isn't right."

"I told you, Vivienne means nothing to me." Damon pulled his hands from hers and moved to touch her face. To connect to her in anyway he could. "You care about me. You might even _love_ me. I can prove it."

He smashed his lips against her and she struggled in his hold but he continued to kiss her fiercely. Holding her face and lips captive. Louise managed to pull away from him.

"Damon, no, no, no." She pulled his hands off her face and pressed them against his chest, holding her own over them. "I care about you - listen to me - I care about you. I really do. But," Damon clenched her hands on his chest, unwilling to let go - to let her go. "It's not right. You've barely just gotten over Vivienne. You're unstable at the moment and yes-"

"Louise, what's going on in here?"

Damon and Louise both turned to see Jeremy standing in the doorway.

Louise quickly tried to yank her hands from Damon's grip and he reluctantly let go. And there it go, his anchor holding him to the world - gone. There was nothing to stop what he was feeling. "It's noting, Jer. It's okay just go back to bed."

And that's when Damon snapped. "No, it's not okay, Louise." Damon sneered. He looked at Louise showing her the amount she had caused him for only a second before he turned to Jeremy. "He wants to be a vampire." Faster than the human eye could see, he was across the room and pinning the youngest Gilbert against the wall by the neck.

"No, Damon!" Louise shouted, rushing forwards. "Stop it!"

It was too late. His brain had reverted back to autopilot, back to the years of the non-feeling, cold hearted predator.

"You want to shut out the pain?" Damon growled to Jeremy. It's the easiest thing in the world. The part of you that cares just goes away, all you have to do," His rage was fast building. "Is flip the switch and _snap_!" With that he twisted his neck, feeling the clean break of the bone before stepping aside so the body wouldn't hit him.

"Damon! _NOOOOOO!_"

Damon watched as Louise dove to the floor by her lifeless brother, fussing over his arms, his legs, crying, not knowing what to do. He watched as his anchor to this world, his key to reality, his reason to care look up at him through her teary chocolate brow eyes that was now filled with hatred for him because what he had just done. It pierced through his heart and soul. The two things he thought could not feel anymore. She hated him.

The vampire turned around and left.

"Jeremy," Louise cried. "I'm so sorry." She looked down at him and stroked his cheek; her eyes roaming over his body until her breath hitched when she spotted his hand. She quickly grabbed his hand to examine the piece of jewellery that glistened on his finger. The Gilbert ring - the ring that brought someone back from the dead after being killed by a supernatural being. "Oh, you're going to be okay. You're going to be okay." She moved his head into her lap and pressed her lips to his forehead.

The youngest Salvatore brother appeared in the door with Elena who was dressed for bed. Seeing her brother dead on the floor, Elena let out a cry and dropped to the floor next to Louise.

"What happened?" Stefan questioned also moving to the floor.

"Your brother happened." Louise hissed.

"Jeremy...he has-" Elena gasped as she suddenly came to the realisation that Jeremy had vampire blood in his system. Her little brother would turn into a vampire in a short while.

Louise quickly shook her head. "The Gilbert ring." she whisper and showed her sister Jeremy's hand. Elena automatically sighed in relief, her hand clasping over Louise's that still held onto Jeremy's. Her brother wasn't dead, he would wake up as a human again and not a vampire.

"He saw the ring." Stefan reasoned, trying to defend the other Salvatore. "That's why he did it. He knew."

Louise shook her head. "He didn't see the ring. Trust me."

"It's Vivienne." Stefan tried again. Louise closed her eyes trying to block out Stefan's hopelessness of his brother's redemption. "She got under his skin. She undid everything that was good about him."

"There's nothing good about him. Stefan, not anymore." Louise uttered, still holding onto Jeremy. "He's decided what he wants. He doesn't want to feel, he wants to be hated, it's just easier that way. He got his wish."

"Lou," Elena whispered looking over to her twin.

Louise willed herself to look up at the pair with a river of tears merging together and falling off her jawline. "I thought there was something human, something redeemable about him. I looked and looked and just as I thought I found it, he goes and does this, proving to everyone else that he is nothing but a heartless monster."

* * *

Louise's mind was reeling from all of the events of the past two days, especially the past hour.. She had been so caught up in the moment she hadn't had time to journal at all. Now, she's curled up on her bed with her diary on her knees, her pen quickly scratching across the page as she tried to process it all.

_D̶e̶a̶r̶ ̶d̶i̶a̶r̶y̶_

_Damon,_

_How could you? __I hurt you. I know that. But, did you have to be cruel enough to hurt me through my brother? Did you have to be the monster I've forgotten was part of you? __You killed my brother. Whether or not he came back from it, whether you knew he would or not, what you did is unforgivable. It should be. It has to be. I need it to be._

_I don't know how I'll get through this and wake up like everything is still okay. I'm not. You didn't just kill my brother, you abandoned me - you cut yourself out of my life._

_I'm not Vivienne, I never will be. Because she never saw you, how far you would go for the people you care about and she never really loved you. She cursed you with this existence, into darkness you can't seem to leave behind but I'll always be the one trying to save you from it. But you treated me as if were her - unbreakable and numb. I don't play games, especially not with the lives of the people I love._

_You made me believe in you, that I knew you and that you would never hurt me. I trusted you._

_And you know what hurts so much? Is that I still do, that even in the haze of it all my anger with you, I still understand you. It frustrates me that these tears are not just for almost losing Jeremy but because I can still feel your pain, the desperation from your kiss still lingers on my lips and it breaks my heart to know you will never completely heal from tonight._

_You were right. I was scared Vivienne would send you off the deep end. You were right. You didn't need her for that because I managed to do that just fine._

_I choose to hate you because it's easier not to feel - just like you said. I'd rather mourn the loss of you in my life than listen to that voice in me that wants to forgive you. I never should._

_I hate myself because the truth didn't die with my brother and it's eating me up inside. I'll tell myself there's nothing good inside you. You don't want to feel. You want to be hated. It's easier that way. I'll believe it all or everything will fall apart and I'll betray the everyone I know because if I don't keep lying to myself, I know I'll forgive you. I know that I'll look into your eyes and feel like everything that shattered in my heart tonight is falling back into place. I'll have to accept why in this moment my hatred for you is so pure, why I'm afraid to look past what you did to me, to us._

_The second I stop, you will have to know why._

_I love you._

Louise sighed and stopped her pen for a moment as her head swarmed. She didn't know how long she stayed like that but time later she caught a shadow at her window. She dropped her journal and quickly rushed to shut her window. Moving towards her adjoined bathroom, she opened the door to her little brother's room as quite as possible and peaked her head through to see him sound asleep. A sigh escaped her lips before she closed the door.

The brunette then made it back to her room. It felt so cold. Turning off her main lights, she headed out the room and down the hall to her sisters room.

Louise carefully opened her door and stepped inside. After closing the door, she turned to see her sister surprisingly awake and staring at the ceiling. Sitting up in bed, Elena watched her sister, knowing instinctively she wanted to speak to her. She could sense the sadness and betrayal radiating off her.

"I...I don't think...I don't think I can be alone tonight." Louise said, her voice barely breaking the silence in the room. "Can I stay?"

Elena automatically nodded, moving over in her bed to make room. Louise walked towards the bed before getting under the covers. Elena turned to her side and stared at her sister's profile as she stared at the ceiling. Wanting nothing more than to comfort her, she reached out and slipped her hand into Louise's. Louise turned her head to face her, looking into the deep brown eyes that mirrored her own. Elena didn't say anything, she just smiled reassuringly.

* * *

Caroline Forbes sat in the hospital bed, her eyes closed and her body on the verge of rest. The television played in the background, muted for her comfort but the lights were beginning to bother her. She opened her eyes, rubbing them slightly as she shift around the covers for the tv remote. She grabbed it and raised it to turn off the tv but a shadow in her peripheral startled her. She narrowed her eyes towards the spot and almost expected to see nothing but instead saw the two faces of her best friends.

"Elena? Louise?"

Katherine titled her head to the side as she stared at the blonde human girl, smiling at her. "Hey Caroline."

"What are you doing here?" Caroline questioned. Judging by the dark halls of the hospital it was late.

Both Katherine and Vivienne walked over to blonde, standing on either side of the bed. Getting straight to the point, Vivienne smirked. "My name is Vivienne and this is my sister Katherine. I was hoping you could give the Salvatore brothers a message for us." Vivienne titled her head in a questionable fashion while Katherine just smiled sweetly.

"What are you talking about? What message?" The blonde questioned, her eyebrows creasing in confusion.

Vivienne's smirked dropped and a dead look filled her eyes. "Game on."

"What?-" Caroline began but was cut off when Vivienne pulled the pillow from underneath her head and pressed it over her face. The blonde's screams muffed as the vampire pushed down harder. Caroline kicked, screamed and flailed around as she struggled to breath. Eventually her hand moved to the side of the hospital bed and fell as the life left her body. She was dead - for now anyway.

Carefully, Vivienne placed the pillow beside Caroline casually as if the dead human was just sleeping. She looked over to her sister.

"Job done."

* * *

**A/N: There is it, chapter one to Tangled Fate. What do you guys think? Is a good start to the second series. Drop a review! ****And as always you can check out my tumblr 'tangleddiaries' to see edits and sneak peaks to chapters.**


	2. Brave New World

**Brave New World**

* * *

The morning after Jeremy's death, Louise clambered gingerly from Elena's warm bed, she stretched, gritting her teeth as she felt her muscles protest the movement. The sun was just creeping over the horizon as she crept from the bed carefully not trying to wake her sister. She walked quietly down the stairs, well aware everyone in the house was still in bed. She found it difficult to sleep last night.

Wandering into the kitchen, she took her time making a pot of coffee before pouring herself a cup and sitting at the table. Although she tried to get her mind to relax, it continued to race. She kept seeing Jeremy's neck breaking, his body slumping to the floor. Even though he came back, the image will forever be plastered in her mind. All because of Damon.

What he did to Jeremy was unforgivable. It has to be, she told herself. Damon knew how much Jeremy meant to her. After losing her parents, Jeremy was one of the only people she had left. A direct link to her parents. Thank god for that ring. If it wasn't for that, she would have been destroyed. Why would he hurt her like that? To cause her so much pain. She thought she understood him but maybe she really didn't.

She shook her head as she tried to think of something else. She tried to think about all the things she was grateful for, like the fact she still has her brother, even though he could have died last night. She still has, Elena, Aunt Jenna and all her friends. As she thought about how much she had to be thankful for, she realised she's become too wrapped up in the world of the supernatural and she's forgetting to live like a human...which she still is - sort of. So now, here she is, making a vow for herself. Today, she's going to about her day as a normal non-vampire loving girl.

Sighing softly to herself, Louise bringing herself back to the present, just in time to see Elena entering the kitchen.

The eldest Gilbert walked straight over to the kettle and poured herself a mug, the smell of hot coffee hitting her nose like a wave. Usually she would be dressed prior to heading downstairs for breakfast but not this time. No, this time she was still in her pj's; still in the process of waking up and oh so clearly grumpy.

"I've decided to live as a human today." Louise suddenly announced. Elena merely cock her perfectly shaped eyebrow as she proper her cup of coffee to her lips.

"Yep. I've been too caught up in the supernatural world." Louise explained. "So, I'm going to school and help Bonnie make this carnival event something Caroline would be proud of. Then I'm going to ride the rides, spend tons of money on the games trying to win stuffed animals I don't need. And finally, stuff my face with so much sugar, I might slip into a coma."

"Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad plan." Elena agreed. "I think I might join in on that."

"Being normal boring teenagers can't be hard, right?"

"Right." Elena laughed. She couldn't help but eye her sister suspiciously, Louise was surprising cheery this morning after everything that happened last night.

* * *

"Vivienne and Katherine looked just like you two, it was freakish."

Louise gave Bonnie a scowled at her timing for bringing up their doppelgangers but she didn't see because the witch was wrapping carnival prizes. She was making it hard for Louise to block out the vampire world. "I'm aware." The brunette muttered.

"They are our ancestors." Was all Elena was going to add as she quickly changed the subject. "I moved the student booth into the cafeteria."

"Your vampire ancestors" Bonnie prompted not catching the vibe that neither Louise or Elena wanted to discuss this. "And they didn't just resemble you like a family member would. They _were_ you guys."

"Yeah, that's how Vivienne's been able to go around town, pretending to be me." Louise grumbled.

"How do you know she's not still out there pretending to be you?" Bonnie questioned, then turned to the other twin. "Or Katherine is pretending to be you?"

Elena raised her shoulders in a light shrug. "I don't - we don't but I could sit here and be tortured by the not-knowing or I could get these prizes to the ring toss."

"Have you talk to Damon since he killed Jeremy or tried to kill Jeremy?" The sudden change in subject caused Elena to freeze mid attempt to shred open a plastic bag and Louise to swallow uncomfortably, getting flashbacks from the night before. As they waited for an answer, Bonnie creased her brow and Elena looked at her sister curiously.

"No Bonnie, I haven't." Louise replied simply, clearly not wanting to talk about it. "And I won't and I don't want to talk about Damon or anything vampire related." She pulled out a bag of toys from the barrel and handed it over to the witch. "Let's just get these sorted, okay?"

"Okay, I'm sorry, I'll focus." Bonnie said, taking the bag. "We have to make Caroline proud or she will kill us. I don't know how she does all of this."

"Me either." Louise then she fake gasped. "Maybe she's hiding a secret from us..."

"That she's not human, obviously." Elena laughed, bumping her hip with her sister, causing her to laugh.

"Obviously."

* * *

It was now dark outside, Louise who was now dressed in a pair of jeans and black t-shirt, smiled as she looked around seeing the bright lights, smelling the delicious food and laughter of everyone attending the carnival. It had turned out perfectly thanks to Caroline's plans she followed. It was a good way to keep her mind off the rest of her tangled life.

"The ring toss is out of Bart and Homer dolls and Team Jacob T's." Bonnie appeared beside, giving Louise a slight fright but the witch meant business.

"Okay, I can grab some from the science club." Louise nodded as she scanned the paper on the clipboard she held in her hand. "Also we lost a speaker in the karaoke room."

"Hey, all good Lou, take a beat, look around." Bonnie gestured around at the crowd. The atmosphere was pure serene, nothing sinister about it. "This is a huge success."

"That's because Caroline did an amazing job planning it."

Bonnie shook her head. "Not just that. Louise, you practically ran this whole thing today."

"You mean I can do more than just freak vampire havoc?" Louise questioned sarcastically.

"Go figure."

They both laughed until Louise noticed a young man with olive tone skin repairing one of the stands. She recognised him from earlier when he helped set up the carnival. The brunette walked over to him with Bonnie right by her side. "Hey, Carter, right?" At the sound of her voice, the man turned around to face them. "You're with the carnival."

"That'll be me." Carter smiled. He was lost when his gaze fell on the witch. "Wow, what do you need beautiful?"

"What do you know about karaoke speakers?" Bonnie asked, feeling her cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

"Why don't you show me the problem?" he queried back flirtatiously as he stepped forwards.

Motioning encouragingly with her eyes, Louse grinned. "Yeah Bonnie, show him the problem."

"Okay," Bonnie agreed. "Come on."

The brunette watched as Bonnie walked off with Carter to show him the issue with the system speak and get her flirt on, leaving Louise to take in a deep breath and appreciate the success the night had been. She headed back into the school building, going down the checklist on the clipboard and soon her relief is short lived. As she made her way down the hallway, she looked up on only to be face to face with Damon. She halted, taking a step back, unimpressed by his presence. Her anger came flooding back and grew more at his smirk.

"Nice little shindig huh?" Louise just merely glared at him and tried to walk around him but he sidestepped her and kept persisting. "Oh that's the way you're gonna play this?"

"I'm not playing games, Damon. I don't want to talk to you so leave me alone!"

"Relax! I saw the ring on Jeremy's finger."

"No, you didn't." Was all she said before moving around him, this time without him stopping her. Instead, he grabbed her arm to spin her back.

"I knew he wasn't really gonna die. I was being dramatic!" Damon tried to defend himself. Louise yanked her arm out his grip

"And I'm suppose to believe that?" Louise questioned as she crossed her arms.

"Damon." A voice came from behind her and Damon and Louise looked over her shoulder to see the youngest Salvatore coming to stand beside her. Louise let out a sigh of relief and Stefan eyed his brother. "What are you doing here?" Stefan questioned. Damon shrugged carelessly and threw an arm over Louise's shoulder.

"Stuff." he replied but Louise pushed his arm away and it fell to his displeasure.

"Why don't you go do your 'stuff' somewhere else. Preferably out of my sight." Louise said, using her hand in a shooing motion. Damon just smirked and walked away willingly. Once the older Salvatore was out of sight, Louise sighed and turned to face Stefan. "What is he even doing here with his smug smiley self?"

Stefan exhaled. "He seems to be convince the Lockwoods have some sort of weird family secret and he's dogging them."

Louise frowned as her brows creased in confusion. "Family secret? Like what?" she questioned but before Stefan could answer, Louise held up her hand, stopping him. "You know what, it doesn't matter. Tonight I don't wanna know."

"And I am trying to stay out of it. I'm going to be a nice boring teenager." Stefan said and Louise smiled, nodding in agreement. Just then Elena approached them, standing next to her boyfriend.

"Can you take a break?" she asked. "I'm in desperate need of a Ferris wheel escape about now." Seeing the look on her sister's face, she eyed the pair curiously. "What's wrong."

"The 'D' word is here." Stefan answered.

"What? Why?!"

Louise shrugged as she replied. "Something about a Lockwood family secret."

"Family secret?" Elena questioned as her face was plastered with the same confused look as her sister's just a few moments ago.

"Yep. But that doesn't matter because we agreed to be boring normal teenagers today." Louise replied. She noticed the football in Stefan's hand and grinned as an idea came to mind. "Hey, why don't you pick a prize..." She linked her arm with Elena's and dragged her over to the game that was behind them and Stefan willingly followed. "And you're boyfriend can win you a prize."

"Erm," Elena uttered, unsure of what to say but her sister nodded encouragingly. "Okay. A koala."

"Koala, coming right up." Stefan said as he repaired to throw the ball to knock down the bottles to win a price.

* * *

Damon whistled a merry tune as he walked alone in the empty halls of Mystic Falls High; he had just left his brother to observe Tyler and had just compelled a random carnival worker to provoke him into a fit of rage, hoping the Lockwood family secret will be revealed tonight. As he continued to walk the hallway, he sensed he wasn't alone and turned to see who it was. He couldn't mask his surprise when he saw Caroline standing at the other end of the hallway in a confident stance; hand on her hip.

"Hey Blondie," he greeted her, his body half turned. Caroline didn't respond but her lips curved into a small smile. "They let you out?" With a smirk, Damon turned on his heels and began walking away but the sound of Caroline's voice halted him.

"I remember." The blonde stated.

Slightly irritated, Damon sighed and turned back around to face Caroline. "What do you remember?"

The sound of Caroline's heels echoed throughout the empty hallway as she sauntered towards the vampire "I remember how you _manipulated_ me. You pushed me around. _Abused_ me. Erased my memories. _Fed. On. Me._"

Damon scoffed, deciding the blonde stood before him was being dramatic. "You're crazy."

Caroline smiled darkly. "Memories have been coming back, in pieces."

"You _can't_ remember. It's impossible, I mean unless you're becoming a..." Damon trailed off as the mocking smile on his face started to disintegrate. He mind started to piece everything together; his blood in her system, memories starting to return.

Caroline tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her smile never fading as she repaired to convey a message that would further rile him up. "I have a message from Vivienne and Katherine," She moved so she was even closer, standing face to face with her sire. "They said "_Game on_"."

The newbie vampire turned to leave but Damon grabbed her arm. "Wait-"

Before Damon could get another word out, Caroline took him by surprised and sent him flying across corridor with all the enhanced strength she could muster. He propped himself up on his elbow as he stared at the newly turned vampire in front of him.

"You suck." Caroline sneered before departing.

Damon let out a frustrated growl as he pulled himself to his feet. As if he didn't have enough to worry about. He moved through the hallways till he found Louise standing at one of the club tables. She was checking things on a clipboard as she went along.

"Louise." Damon said as he stood beside her.

"What do you want, Damon?" Louise questioned not bothering looking at the vampire.

"I know I'm the last person you want to see right now but I need you to come with me."

"Did I not make myself clear earlier?" The brunette finally looked up at him, the irritation on her features did not go unnoticed. "I'm not interested."

"Yeah, I need you to come with me." Damon narrowed his eyes at her and the next words he spoke were firm and demanding. "Right _now._"

Her own eyes narrowed at his tone before she was swept into his penetrating icy blue eyes. The intensity of his gaze communicated the urgency of whatever the situation was occurring at the moment. Something was wrong...again. Louise arched a brow. "What's wrong?"

Damon shook his head. "Not here, Louise. We need to find Stefan and Elena, they need to hear this too."

Louise took a deep breath and nodded as she prepared herself to follow him. Minutes later, Damon, Stefan and Elena all found themselves in Alaric's classroom. Elena was standing at the window ceil, trying to process the new information she just received, Stefan was pacing between Damon and Elena, Damon was perched on Alaric's desk while Louise sat at one of the desks.

"Caroline's a vampire?" Louise mumbled still shock. Is this her fault? No it can't be - could it? And alert girl must consider why her visions didn't help her? Intuition had failed her and so had divination. All glances into near events, all silent murmurs into her ear, all warnings truant.

"How did this happen?" Stefan questioned as he continued to pace.

Damon shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I fed her blood and Katherine or Vivienne obviously killed her and A plus B equals..."

"But why?" Elena intervened, her voice broken.

"Because Vivienne is a manipulative, nasty, little slut." Damon spat angrily. "Her sister included."

"And she said "game on"? I mean, what does that even mean?" Stefan contemplated.

"It means they're playing dirty. They want us to know."

"But why Caroline?" Elena asked, her eyes sweeping across the room to everyone.

"Because Caroline's our friend and they want to hurt us." Louise replied her eyes fixed on outside the window. The carnival was still in full swing. It was only half an hour ago she was having a nice, carefree day. She shook her head. "Poor Caroline. She must be completely out of her mind, she doesn't even know what's happening to her."

"Oh I think she does." Damon scoffed, crossing his arms. Louise, Stefan and Elena all looked at him for an explanation. "All of my compulsion from the past started wearing off the minute she was in transition."

"We have to find her." Stefan stated.

"Yep," Damon agreed. "And kill her."

"No, no, no.." Louise's head snapped to the eldest Salvatore in shock. "You're not gonna kill Caroline."

"She knows who we are. She's officially a liability, and we've got to get rid of her."

"Damon," Stefan said carefully. "Absolutely not."

"Need I remind you of a tragic little story of a girl named Vicki Donovan?" Damon pointed out. When Stefan fell silent, Damon knew his brother knew he was right but Louise shook her head.

"Caroline's different." Louise argued. "Vicki was unstable to begin with. She had no control and she was a drug addict."

"Caroline, of all people, will _not_ make it as a vampire. Her mother is a vampire hunter. Guys come on, we all know how this story's gonna end, just flip to the last chapter and-"

Elena interrupted him. "It's not an option Damon."

"No?" Damon glared at her and Stefan hung his head. "Your silence is deafening, Stefan." He pointed out and the twins looked over at the younger vampire. "Wait, wasn't there a school carnival the night you staked Vicki? I never had a town where history repeats itself." He paused to look at his brother. "You know I'm right."

The green eyed vampire finally looked up and stared at Damon hard. "We're not gonna kill her."

Louise released a breath she didn't realise she was holding and gave Stefan a grateful smile. Before she could thank him properly, he left the room without another word or a glance at Elena. Elena shot Louise a worried look before rushing after her boyfriend. Trying to avoid Damon, started to make her way to the door but finger clasped around her wrist stopping her.

"It's the only way." he whispered softly. "You have to know that."

"I don't." Louise shook her head. "Caroline's one of my best friends and I'll help her in anyway I can." With that she left to follow after Stefan and Elena.

* * *

Louise, Elena and Stefan moved frantically around the carnival searching for Caroline. They had covered the entire carnival Stefan stopped ominously, turning his head, noticing something the two human girls couldn't pick up and he announced he could smell blood. And when they finally found the blonde, she was hysterically crying in the arms of the eldest Salvatore, her face coated with blood from regrettably killing the carnival worker.

Damon's hand rose, a stake held tightly in it as he prepared to drive it through the newly turned vampire. Before he could, Stefan rushed forward pushing his brother away from Caroline and the stake fell to the concrete beside Damon's feet.

"Stefan!" Damon groaned in annoyance.

Louise and Elena wasted no time in rushing towards their best friend but Caroline's eyes widened in fear at the sight of the two. "Get away from me!" she cried. "You killed me!" Louise shook her head as she looked at Caroline only to find her staring at her sister, who look like a deer caught in headlights. "And you let her!"

"No, no, no, no, Caroline, That wasn't me." Louise rushed out. "That wasn't us. You know that. That was Vivienne and Katherine."

"No! Then why did they look like you?! And why, why did she do this to me?!" Caroline sobbed, her voice cracking.

"Care," Louise swallowed, not knowing if her words would be true. "You're going to be okay."

Elena looked at Caroline, she was becoming more hysteric and a hysteric vampire did not make a stable vampire. "Stefan." she called and instantly her boyfriend was at her side. "We've got to get her inside."

Stefan's eyes were still locked on his brother as he reached towards Caroline. "It's alright, Caroline, come with me."

"She _will_ die." Damon announced coldly and Louise looked up to glare at him. "It's only a matter of time."

"Yeah, maybe so, but it's not gonna happen tonight." Stefan told him.

"Oh, yeah, it is."

It took a few moments for Louise to register Damon's words and by that time the vampire had picked up the wooden stake and was heading towards Caroline. Instincts kicked in and without a second thought Louise placed herself in front of Caroline protectively. Damon stood in front of he, barely an inch between their bodies, his hand tightly grasped the stake which was right above her heart and he stared down at her in horror. He had come inanely close to plunging the take through Louise's heart. The brunette didn't flinch as she held his gaze.

"Don't give me more of a reason to hate you." Louise told him sternly. Her eyes flicked down to the makeshift stake and after a moment, Damon dropped his arm.

"Whatever happens, it's on you." he warned, backing away.

"Caroline?" A small voice came from behind the group and they all turned to see the petite, olive skinned witch Bonnie's eyes widened at the sight of Caroline's blood-coated face and shook her head. "No, you're not; you can't be." Desperate to be proven wrong, she rushed forward and grabbed a hold of Caroline's hand before violently withdrawing her hand at the truth. Caroline is a vampire.

"Bonnie?" Caroline questioned, sadly.

Bonnie sucked in a harsh breath as her eyes sight of Carter's dead body. "Oh, god!"

"Bonnie…" Caroline hesitantly whimpered but Bonnie created a wide space between them, glaring with a mixture of horror and disgust. This only prompted new tears to resurface as the newly turned vampire, sobbed turning into Stefan's chest as he immediately ushered her away from the scene.

"Go." Louise nodded to her twin and Elena didn't hesitate as she rushed after her boyfriend and long term friend. For a moment Louise's gaze followed her disappearance before returning her attention back to her witch friend. Bonnie stood with her back towards her and the brunette took a deep breath before slowly making her way towards her.

"I can't believe this is happening." Bonnie whispered shaking her head gently. She continued to stare at Carter's dead body, her eyes glazed with unspilled emotion. Unsure of what to say Louise just nodded in response.

"Come on, don't pout about it." Damon said making his arrival known as he sauntered over to Louise with a shovel over his shoulder. "I got a body to bury."

Louise raised a brow at his choice of words but even more at his timing. "Damon." she warned.

"What?" he questioned obliviously. "I thought you were calling the shots." Louise turned away from him, shaking her head at the fact he wasn't even trying to fake remorse. Damon shrugged and moved to put the shovel in the back of the truck but not before directing a smartass comment to the dead body. "Hm, it sucks to be you, buddy."

In a matter of seconds, Louise's attention quickly turned back to Damon's when he dropped to the floor clutching at the sides of his head in agonising pain. He doubled over in pain, hands still attached to the sides of his head. The brunette immediately knew what was happening as turned to Bonnie, who's eyes were fixed on Damon and nothing else, tears rolling down her cheeks. A nearby water faucet turned on and the hose twisted and turned in response to the pressure, sweeping a layer of water across the parking lot and allowing a puddle to seep across the pavement towards Damon, who was still lying crumpled on the ground.

"I told you what would happen if anyone else got hurt." Bonnie stated, sounding almost as if she was in a trance.

"I didn't do this!" Damon spat through gritted teeth.

"Bonnie, it wasn't his fault!" Louise told her.

Bonnie spared a look at her best friend. "Everything that happens is his fault, Louise."

Panic bloomed in Louise's stomach as she watched the water continued to creep towards Damon. "Bonnie, what are you doing?" Louise questioned. Suddenly the water irrupted in flames creating a barrier between them. "Bonnie, stop it!" Louise exclaimed in horror, eyes widening in realisation of the witch's plan.

The fire only continued to spread and soon reached Damon and engulfed him. Damon screamed, withering around on the floor as he desperately swatted at his burning legs with his hands, trying unsuccessfully to smother the flames.

"Bonnie! Bonnie, stop it! You're going to kill him!" Louise screamed. She stuck as the line of fire created a barrier between them. The witch didn't listen as her green orbs continued to pierce Damon causing the flames to grow taller. "Bonnie!"

Louise reacted without thinking as she leaped over the line of fire. She shook Bonnie's shoulders forcefully to break her concentration and then her eyes snapped towards her and Bonnie came out of her trance.

"Why... Why did you stop me?!" Bonnie shouted.

"Because you weren't listening. This isn't his fault, Bon."

"Yes, it is, Louise." Bonnie exclaimed. "I'm not going to tolerate every bad thing he does just because of _your_ feeling for him."

"But this isn't his fault." Louise shook he head. "Vivienne and Katherine are to blame. Not him." Bonnie blinked, her anger seemingly extinguished along with the flames. "And this isn't you, Bon. You're not that person." she spoke softly. Her chocolate brown eyes looked towards Damon. He was still on the ground, his legs scorched but he'll heal. Embracing a shaking Bonnie, they both left the scene.

* * *

Louise sat in the parking lot as she waited for her sister to return so they can go home. She went over everything that happened today. Here mind was racing, it filled with too many thoughts to even consider going straight to bed. She knew that she wouldn't get a wink of sleep. Her intuition kicked in and she was suddenly aware of someone nearby. Her heart began pounding in fear and she started to panic and her breathing became heavier.

There was a brush of air and the person was now standing in front of her.

Damon.

A loud sigh escaped her lips. His presence made her feel safe. She relaxed significantly and felt the fear induced tension leave her body. Why she trusted him with her life, when she couldn't with the lives of the people she cared about, Louise didn't know. But somehow, she knew he would do anything to protect her.

"What are you still doing here? Don't you have a body to bury?"

He looked at her and smirked. "I decided to spare you the panic attack. It was only me, Louise. Not the centuries old crazy bitches."

Louise couldn't help the sarcastic response. "And how's that any better?"

"Ouch." Damon said, it wasn't fake hurt. That stunk a bit. "I'm not the one who stabbed your uncle slash biological father or turned your best friend into a vampire."

"No, you are the one who killed my brother." The bitterness in her eyes and voice seemed to have shut off his sarcasm. She tucked her hair behind her ears and her eyes fell to the floor.

When she finally dared to look up at him again, she realized the message had gotten through. She knew him well enough to see that much. It wasn't in his body language or the expression on his face. It was in the subtle change in his eyes. His eyes that always gave away his deepest thoughts. He nodded, and simply started walking off.

"Why did you stop her?" He suddenly called out. Damon had stopped walking midway and had only turned his head to ask that question. His eyes locked with hers. "Why didn't you let her kill me and put an end to it all? Why did you save me? After what I did?"

"Because she was blaming you for something that wasn't your fault and because I knew that Bonnie would never be able to live with the fact that she killed someone. Even if it was you - the only person she hates more than anything."

"And because you don't hate me, Louise. Whether or not-"

"Just leave it, Damon." Louise utter, cutting him off. "Not tonight."

To her surprise he didn't fight her on him, he gave her a small smile before saying. "Thank you."

* * *

**A/N: So here's another chapter, sorry it's a short one but still I hoped you enjoyed it. In this chapt, Louise is still mad at Damon but she wasn't willing to let Bonnie kill him. The connection is till there because you know feeling like that just don't disappear...And next chapter we're going to Duke!**

And as always you can check out my tumblr 'tangleddiaries' to see edits and sneak peaks to chapters.

**Please review & ****these are response to the reviews -**

**Machala: Glad you're enjoying so far. Thank you for reviewing and reading. Louise will have a spark with an original but I'm not sure it'll be Elijah...sorry.**

**jbail357: Thank you and I'm excited for this season, it's one of my favourites.**

**Serena: Glad that you're enjoying, hope you like this one too.**


	3. Bad Moon Rising

**Bad Moon Rising**

* * *

Louise sat on the comfy Stefan and Elena on the couch in the Salvatore's living room. The doorbell rang and she watched as the eldest Salvatore moved towards the front door.

After the night of the carnival, Louise has been trying her best to avoid Damon as much as she could. She couldn't face him. She knew he would be questioning her more on why she saved him but who wouldn't after he temporarily killed her brother? Now, every chance she got she avoided talking to him, eye contact and being in the same room as him alone. If that seemed like it would happen, she quickly made an excuse.

"Thanks for coming, Ric. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, bourbon? Bourbon in your coffee?" Damon walked ahead of Alaric into the parlour where everyone else was.

"Elena mentioned you needed my help." Alaric urged ignoring Damon's offer. Damon gestured for him to take a seat.

"Yeah, we were hoping you could help shed some light on the Lockwood family." Stefan elaborated as Alaric took a seat on the couch opposite the one he, Louise and Elena sat on.

"Now, why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?" Alaric gave him a questioning look. He was a vampire hunter and as far as he was concerned, the Lockwoods weren't vampires.

"Well, you wouldn't." Damon said as he took a seat in an armchair. "But your dead, not-dead vampire wife might." Alaric's eyes immediately fell to the floor; Isobel was still a touchy subject for him. Louise shot Damon a glare but he merely shrugged at her.

"Isobel's research from when you guys were at Duke together." Elena clarified for her teacher.

"You said that she had spent years researching this town." Stefan added, leaning up in his seat and resting his elbows on his knees.

Alaric nervously licked his lips. "Isobel's research here in Mystic Falls rooted in folklores and legends but at the time I thought much of which was fiction."

"Like that amazing vampire story." Damon smirked, wiggling his eyebrows causing Alaric to smile slightly.

"Aside from vampires," Elena said. what else?"

Alaric avoided all gazes as his eyes traced the floor. He seemed to be afraid to utter the response. These people had enough problems already, adding something else could be traumatic. Though, they are asking meaning something must have been going on. "The lycanthrope." he finally admitted.

"As in werewolves?" Louise asked looking around at the shock faces that filled the room. The history teacher had been silent for so long it took a few moments to actually register his response.

"No way, impossible, _way_ too Lon Chaney." Damon shook his head.

"Is it?" Stefan countered.

"I've been on this planet one hundred and sixty some odd years, never came across one." Damon told his brother before returning his attention to Alaric. "If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?"

"Why do you suspect the Lockwoods?" Alaric asked.

"Because vervain didn't affect the mayor at Founders' Day but the Gilbert device did and it affected his son Tyler." The eldest Salvatore answered.

"And at the school carnival his uncle Mason exhibited inhuman behaviour when he fought with one of the carnival's workers." Stefan explained further. "It suggests it's some sort of a supernatural entity."

"We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure it out what it is." Louise said, getting to the real point of her teacher being there.

"Well, all her things are still at Duke-" Alaric cut himself off. "I mean her office is still there. She's technically still missing."

"So can we get access to it?" Damon's lips lifted in a smirk. Alaric eyed the vampire but made no move to reply. "Ric, we need to know what we are dealing with. If this wolfman thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good." Damon leaned towards the history teacher. "It means Mason Lockwood is a real-life Lon Chaney and that little Tyler punk may just very well be Lon Chaney junior, which means Bella Lugosi, meaning me, is totally screwed."

* * *

Louise checked her bag to make sure she had everything before making her way downstairs to see Jenna standing at the door looking lost and conflicted. "Hey, Jenna, are you okay?" she asked her aunt worriedly.

"Yeah just men and their baggage." Jenna responded jokingly, trying to cover up whatever was bothering her. Louise noticed her glance outside to where Alaric was and immediately understood.

Once again, Damon who was waiting outside, honked the horn impatiently trying to get them to hurry up. Just then Elena and Stefan came running down the stairs, each of them said bye to Jenna before walking towards Alaric's car.

"Sorry you can't come too, Stef." Damon mocked with a fake pout, arms folded as he leant against the car. Elena pushed her bag through the backseat car window, all while glaring at the eldest Salvatore.

"Call me if you need anything." Stefan told Elena who finally stopped glaring at Damon. Stefan turned to Louise. "Both of you."

"Don't worry about Louise, brother. " Damon spoke up wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "I'll take _really_ good care of her."

Louise grimaced at his tone and shrugged his arms from around her. Elena reached up for Stefan's face and pulled his lips to hers, the soft kiss began to get more passionate. Louise quickly cleared her throat causing the couple to pull apart and Elena's cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Okay, time to go. Poor Alaric's been waiting long enough." Louse said.

* * *

"How are you girls doing back there?" Damon questioned, looking back at the two brunettes. They were half way to Duke and neither Elena or Louise had made an effort to talk to him and Alaric just focused on the road. The vampire noticed Louise purposely avoiding her gaze. "You know, this whole pretending to hate me thing is getting a little silly."

Alaric glanced back at the twins. Louise held a book in her hand but hadn't been able to read for the past ten minutes because Damon kept distracting her. She made a huge mistake by sitting behind him in hopes he wouldn't be able to disturb her. Of course he had to prove her wrong ; every now and then he would put his hand between the side of the car and seat to touch her leg. Louise pushed him away each time and was thankful Alaric or Elena didn't comment on it, though it was painfully obvious.

Elena had tried to concentrate on writing in her journal. Her and Louise purposely avoided speaking, knowing that Damon would one way or another find his way into their conversation.

"I don't think they're pretending." Alaric told Damon. "You did kill their brother."

"There is a _huge_ asterisk next to that statement: he came back to life!"

"Yeah, thanks to a ring that you didn't know he was wearing." Louise snapped before Elena had a chance to point out the same thing.

"Why are you so sure I didn't know?" Damon inquired.

"Did you?" Elena interjected, her eyebrow raised as paused in her writing.

"Yes."

Louise's eyes thinned. "You're lying."

"I've told you and I'll tell you again, Louise. I saw the ring!" Damon exclaimed, trying to convince her but she wasn't buying any of it. "It's a big tacky thing. Hard to miss."

"And there you go insulting our family ring." Louise drawled. "Have you seen yours?" This caused an light chuckle to escape Alaric's lips but was covered by a cough when the vampire glared at him. "Why can't you just admit you didn't see the ring?"

"Because I saw it, Louise!" Damon exclaimed and Louise scoffed and rolled he eyes in response. That was the end of the conversation.

It was one thing for Damon to kill Jeremy and it was another for him to blatantly lie about seeing the ring on his hand. So no matter how much he tried to get her attention the ride to Duke, she didn't budge. She had felt his many glances. He had even tried to make jokes but never laughed or turn her head in his direction. It was only silence.

* * *

Alaric soon pulled up to the Duke campus and before Louise had a chance to open the car door, it swung open. She shot Damon a glare before hopping out of the car. The university was breath-taking ; grey and white stones created the campus which was covered in blossoming flowers and rich green grass. Elena, Louise and Damon all followed Alaric into the building.

"So Isobel was officially employed by the anthropology department given that most paranormal phenomenon is rooted in folklore." he explained as they rounded the corner to see a woman in her mid-twenties with dark hair and bright green eyes, standing behind a filing cabinet. "Excuse me, hi. I'm Alaric Saltzman, I called earlier." Alaric said drawing her attention.

The woman smiled, closing the cabinet and walking over to him to shake his hand. "Yes, of course. I'm Vanessa Monroe, research assistant, comparative folklore." When her eyes drifted to the others, she slightly froze when she looked at Louise and Elena but quickly composed herself. "Uh, let me just grab Isobel's keys." She opened the draw and pulled out a set of keys.

"These are my friends Elena, Louise and Damon. I hope this isn't too much of an imposition."

"Oh please," Vanessa plastered a smile on her face. "Isobel's office is right through there. Isobel was one of my first professors. I'm a grad student. She was brilliant, and one of the reasons I went into folklore." She paused. "Uh, I have to ask - has there been any news?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Alaric lied. Both Louise and Elena exchanged knowing looks.

Vanessa gestured to the door in the office. "It's this way." She unlocked the door and the followed her inside the dark room. "I'll grab the light, feel free to look around. It's fascinating isn't it?"

Louise and Elena both gravitated towards the bookshelf. The eldest Gilbert, picking up a fossil and marvelling at the bronze stone.

"This is quite a collection." Louise whispered as she brushed her fingers across the titles of books on the shelf.

"Where'd she go?" Damon questioned as he realised that the research assistant was no longer in the room.

Louise barely had time to gasp as Vanessa emerged from the doorway an in one fluid motion levelled the crossbow, releasing the trigger and suddenly Damon's face is in front of her now in a twisted expression of pain. His hand gripped the shelf next to her as he tied to steady himself, harsh chokes forcing themselves past his lips before the pain overwhelmed him and he collapsed to the floor.

Alaric was already pinning the attacker to the wall and only Elena and Louise stood, still frozen in the moment. Louise gasped as her mind tried to catch up. She should be dead. Slowly, her chocolate brown eyes dragged from Alaric's to the vampire on the floor.

Damon. Panic swelled her veins as she dropped to her knees beside him. Tucking her hair automatically behind her ears, her hands quivered over his body unsure of what to do. He was on his side, eyes closed, black hair covering a face creased with pain. Louise unsteadily reached out and touched his shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Damon," she whispered numbly.

It must have been less than a heartbeat for Damon to move across the room and take the arrow in his back. That was too short of a time for him to know whether or not the bolt was wooden. He wasn't dead - he hadn't disintegrated.

There was a judder under her hand, a groan, a cough and she was looking into half open icy blue eyes.

"I knew you still cared." Damon croaked, fixing her with a mischievous glance, easing himself onto his elbow.

Louise dropped her hand like he had scalded her and got to her feet abruptly, leaving him lying on the floor. She re-joined her sister next to the book shelf, leaning against it, arms folded protectively in front of her. Damon smirked but it swiftly turned into a pained grimace.

"Damn it." he hissed as he tried to twist his arm behind his back. After the third attempt with the bolt, it remained stubbornly out of his reach and he dropped his hand to the floor. He shot Louise a look. "Little help?"

Louise merely glared at him. "It's your back." she told him sharply.

"It's your arrow." he countered. The pang of guilt reminded her of what he had done.

Damon pulled himself to his feet and leant against the desk. "Pull it out." he growled and Louise bit her lip debating whether or not to pull the arrow out. "I can't reach it, Louise. Just pull the damn thing out. It hurts."

"I'll do it." Elena groaned as her sister made no movement to. She moved to stand behind the vampire. She reached forward, grabbed the arrow and twisted it into him just out of spite. Damon groaned and Elena finally ripped the arrow out of his back which earned another groan from the Salvatore.

"There." Elena dropped the arrow in front of him and walked out the room.

Damon straightened himself, rolling his shoulders in grimace as the wound healed. "That bitch is dead." he declared.

"You're not gonna kill her." Louise stated, moving to stand in his way. It was clear that Vanessa mistook her for Vivienne and deep inside Louise knew that would be a recurring incident and she had to get use to being mistaken for her ancestor.

"Watch me." Damon said with menace in his voice. He moved past her and it wasn't until she spoke again that he halted.

"You touch her and I swear I will _never_ speak to you again." she threatened him. She did feel slightly bad for manipulating him but she was trying to save someone's life. "I'm serious, Damon. Don't."

Damon turned around to face her, an unimpressed look on his face. "What makes you think that has any power over me? Because I took an arrow in the back for you?" He questioned intently and his eyes hardened. "You're severely overestimating yourself."

"Because I know you'd rather listen to me than _lose_ me."

Damon fell silent at her statement, knowing full well it was true. Louise brushed past him and headed to the office to where Vanessa sitting in a chair, Alaric and Elena hovering close by listening to her plea. The poor woman look skittish and ready to run.

"Please! I freaked out okay?" she yelled frantically. "Alright, you would have done the same thing, it's _not_ possible! Katherine and Vivienne Pierce can't be alive." Vanessa shook her head. "And Damon Salvatore _died_ in 1864. Okay? I read Isobel's research."

"Well, then you should know just how possible this is." Alaric told her firmly.

"I'm _Elena_ Gilbert and," Elena introduced herself and then gestured to Louise who now stood behind her. "This is my sister, Louise Gilbert. We're Isobel's daughters and descendants of Vivienne and Katherine Pierce." Realisation pervaded Vanessa's features and Elena pointed towards the only vampire. "And this is Damon Salvatore who you just shot."

"I'd be _extra_ nice to me right now." Damon whispered, forcing a fake smile.

Louise rolled her eyes at Damon before focusing her attention on Vanessa. "Look, we need your help okay? We need to see all of Isobel's research, anything related to Mystic Falls."

Vanessa's lips twitched with a small smile and her posture relaxed before complying and moving to the adjoining room to fetch all the boxes that she knew existed on Mystic Falls. "This box checks Vivienne and Katherine's arrival to Mystic Falls in April 1864." she announced as she placed a box in front of the twins.

"That's it?" Louise questioned. To her dismay, it was much small than she expected.

"Is that all there is about them?" Elena asked.

"All that I'm aware of." She nodded.

Elena pulled out what seemed to be dried up plant remains. She eyed the eldest Salvatore, who was in the furthest corner looking threw some books, before she tore off a small piece of the plant and thrusting it in Vanessa's hand. "Here, take this."

Vanessa looked up at the brunette intrigued. "Does vervain really work?" she whispered.

"Nope, not at all." Damon answered suddenly.

"Can he hear us?" Vanessa questioned, this time whispering even lower.

"No, that would be _creepy_." Damon mockingly faked whispered and Elena nodded her head in disappointment.

"Can he read minds too?"

"You know, if you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask." Damon said cockily as he turned to face the humans. Both Elena and Louise shot him a glare.

"No," Louise bit out. "That he can't do. He is very capable of being a first rate jackass." She added watching as Vanessa put the vervain in her pocket.

* * *

"Any luck?" Damon whispered in Louise's ear as he came up behind her. She sighed as she thought about asking him to leave her alone but went against it. She didn't have much fight in her left.

Louise sighed as she swapped a letter she was browsing over with an aged book while Elena completely ignored him. "There's nothing in here about Katherine and Vivienne that we don't already know." Letters, Words, Sentences, Paragraphs, Pages, Books and no new information was found about the Pierce twins.

"Ah, man, you know, it's a bummer we're in the middle of a _huge_ fight right now because I could tell you what I know."

At this, Louise rolled her eyes and turned to face him. "Hmm, bummer."

They locked eyes and before either one could say anything, Alaric's voice rang through the room.

"Hey guys, check this out." Alaric passed the book in hands to Vanessa. Louise and Elena stopped their research and moved towards them while Damon hung back with his arms folded across his chest.

"There's no record of werewolf mythology in Mystic Falls, but here are some records of some of the lesser-known legends. Everything from Scandinavian skin-walkers to the Maréchal de Retz." Vanessa explained as she hand the book to Damon as he approached her and pointed to the drawings on the book. "Tonartsliitsii Metslii, which roughly translates into the "curse of the sun and the moon"."

"It's Native American." Alaric stated.

"Aztec." Vanessa corrected. "It explains one origin of the werewolf curse traced through Virginia. The short story: 600 years ago, the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires. They terrorized the countryside, made farming and hunting impossible until an Aztec shaman cursed them, making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves servants of the moon. As a result, vampires could only prowl at night and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon crests in the sky, who's ever unlucky enough to fall under the werewolf curse turns into a wolf."

"Can they control the transformation?" Damon intrigued. Louise had eyed him while Vanessa told the story and he had listened intently.

"If it were a choice, it wouldn't be called a curse." Vanessa responded smartly. "Werewolves will attack humans but instinct and centuries of rivalry have hardwired them to hunt their prey of choice: vampires."

"Well, if werewolves were hunting vampires, I would know about it." Damon stated arrogantly.

"Not if there aren't that many werewolves left alive. Hundreds of years ago, vampires hunted them almost to extinction."

"Why would they do that?" Elena questioned puzzled.

"To protect themselves." Vanessa said. "Legend has it that a werewolf bite is fatal to vampires."

The room feel silent as they took in the new information and Damon was the only one to utter what everyone was thinking. "Oh..."

After the new revelation about werewolves Elena stepped out to phone Stefan and warn him and keep him on his toes during tonight's full moon. And while Elena did that, Louise moved to look at the bookshelves. Of their own accord almost, her hands drifted towards a shelf where one well worn out leather spine book with cracks poked out slightly against the row of neatly placed books. It was around the size of her journal. It called out to her.

She pulled it out, flipping it open, the tiniest mushrooms of dust billowing out with her actions as she browsed the heavy, yellowed pages. Her eyes narrowed as some statements stood out to her.

_...they are found be to special, rare and extremely desirable due to their omniscient power._

_...ability to analyse patterns and use this to uncover history (past) or to foretell the future usually through visions... _

_visions_

"Oh my god." Louise whispered as she stared down, eyes wide at the book and Damon found himself sauntering over to her and she immediately snapped the book shut upon his appearance.

"What you reading?" Damon questioned, his words coated in suspicion.

"We're in the middle of a huge fight, remember?" Louise threw his words back at him which caused Damon scowled darkly and Louise smugly sidestepped him, moving back to the table and popping the book in her bag.

Louise then decided to continue looking through papers from the box about her ancestors. She had lost a little hope that she would actually find something they didn't already know. After a moment she huffed as she picked up another stack, ready to throw it aside when a picture fell from the pile and directly onto the table in front of her. Discarding the papers, she picked up picture to see not only her face but her sister's face staring back at her, decked out in their 1864 attire.

At this point, Elena had re-entered the room to see her sister still eyeing the photo. "What's that?" she asked.

Louise looked up to meet curious brown eyes. She hesitated for a moment before holding the picture up next to her face and Elena swallowed.

"Hey, have you done any research on doppelgängers?" Louise questioned, her eyes fixed on Vanessa.

Vanessa eye's flickered between the picture and the Gilbert twins before she answered. "Well, the word means a lot of different things to different cultures, but typically a doppelgänger is a living, breathing double of oneself."

"So Isobel doesn't have anything that would explain the link between Vivienne and Katherine and us?" Louise questioned, gestured between her sister and herself.

"That." Vanessa pointed to the box and the scattered papers. "Is all she had on them, unfortunately." Louise's eyes fell to the papers. She had gone through all of them but spotted no signs of the word doppelganger. Vanessa hesitate but added. "But I can tell you that doppelgängers usually torment the people they look like, trying to undo their lives. It's not exactly uplifting."

Elena huffed in irritation. "And more things we already know. Just...I want to know why we look like them."

"Head scratcher, isn't it?" Damon drawled from across the room where he was pretending to examine the book shelf he was leaning against.

Elena's eyes narrowed at him. "Do you know something, or are you just being yourself?"

"Well, _if_ I know anything, I'm not gonna tell you, not with that attitude."

Louise's jaw clenched and she glared at the vampire. "For someone who wants to get on my good side, you're doing a terrible job. You're just being an arrogant asshole."

* * *

After the long day, it was now night time and they all had given up, having not found any more information on werewolves or any useful information on the Pierce twins. Louise was currently using the restroom, Alaric was finishing up with Vanessa and Elena was ready to head home.

Elena yanked on the backseat door to Alaric's car only to find resistance. Locked. She let out a groan in annoyance.

"Here. Allow me." Damon came into view, the car keys dangling in his hand. He unlocked the door and opened it, the brunette exhaled before moving to get in the car but Damon block her entrance. "Has Louise said anything about me?"

"Can we just go?" Elena asked, ignoring his question.

Damon let out a loud sigh before pulled a brown thick book from behind his back. "Louise didn't dig deep enough and neither did you." He handed the book to her.

"Petrova." She mused, tracing the golden cursives written on the spine. "I saw this on a shelf."

"Katherine and Vivienne originally came from Europe." Damon said leaning against the car. "Petrova was their real name. Katerina Petrova and Viviana Petrova, to be exact.

Elena found herself unable to push away her curiosity. "How did you know that?"

"Back when, I saw it engraved on an old heirloom." he told her and Elena raised an eyebrow. "Men snoop too, you know." Nodding once in acceptance and she went to get in the car but once again he stopped her. "Louise has every right to hate me, I understand but she's hated me before and yet she still cares, maybe even feels something more. It would suck if that was gone forever. So, is it? Have I lost her forever?"

"You're asking the wrong twin." Elena told him simply. "Thank you for the book, Damon."

With that he finally moved out her way and she hopped into the backseat. He just the door behind her then climbed inside the passenger seat. They both waited for Louise and Alaric to come to the car so they could head home.

* * *

The drive back to Mystic Falls was longer than expected. Elena had fallen asleep on Louise's shoulder and that prevented her from doing any reading. When they finally arrived back in town, Alaric pulled up at the Gilbert's house, cutting off the engine before dashing inside to speak to Jenna. The Salvatore vampire and Gilbert twins took slightly longer to escape the car.

"Home sweet home," Elena muttered as she walked up the porch steps with Louise and Damon close behind. She took the book from Louise, acknowledging the fact Damon wanted to trade a few words with Louise before stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

"Road trips work well for us" Damon commented once it was just him and Louise.

Louise turned to look up at him. "This doesn't mean things are back to the way they use to be, Damon."

"You and I both know you don't hate me, Louise, so can you stop pretending."He took her hand in his and she didn't try to pull away. Her heart rate sped up at the contact and her breath caught in her throat. She felt trembles shoot down her spine. "Because if you really hated me then you would have let Bonnie kill me, but you didn't. You wouldn't have come on this trip with me and I heard the way your heart stopped when I took that arrow for you." His hand began to caress the back of her hand she knew he felt the little trembles in her body. "Yes, Louise, I heard it."

Her chocolate brown eyes stared into his icy blue ones and didn't try to contradict him. After all he was right. She didn't hate him. She should but she didn't. She was only hurt and angry for what he did to Jeremy. She had a lump in her throat but she had to focus if she wanted to ask her next question. The number one question she wanted to know all along.

"I need to know the truth." She held his gaze. "When you broke Jeremy's neck, did you know he was wearing the ring?"

"No. No, I didn't" Damon answered. His voice was filled with regret. "Vivienne pissed me off and I - I snapped. I got lucky with the ring. I don't know what I would have done if he wasn't wearing it. Louise, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Louise shook her head, her eyed pleading with him to be lying. She tried to pull her hand out of his but he held it fiercely.

"Don't pull away from me. Don't push me away." He finally released her hand but only to cup her face. Louise stole a glance down at his mouth then she hastily looked back up at his face. His expression implied that he knew what she staring at but didn't comment on it. "Forgive me. Say you'll forgive me, _Lou_."

Her eyes widened at what he just called her. Everyone called her that but Damon had never once called her that, until now.

"Have I lost you forever?" Damon asked.

Louise's face softened as she stared into his pleading face and it took her a moment to collect her thoughts. She almost hated herself for being so weak around him. Grabbing his hand, she moved them from her face.

"I'm not sure." With those words, she turned around and walked into her house, not looking back once.

* * *

Louise hadn't touched the book since she first found it. She was no curled up in her bed with he book propped up on her legs which bent at the knees. Taking a deep breath, she flipped open the cover to see black ink spread across the pages in swirly calligraphy and began to read.

_The term 'seer' is a titular name for witches that specialize in the practice of divination. While witches are adept at performing divination and clairvoyance to a different degree, having to access it via spells, seers are naturally endowed with such power. They are significantly more attuned to the psychic vibrations of the universe, and may access information through various techniques that are incomprehensible to the average witch. Meaning all seers are clairvoyant witches but not all witches are seers._

_Since they're are not like regular witches they are found be to special, rare and extremely desirable due to their omniscient power._

A witch? Well that would explain why Bree mistook her for one, Louise thought. She narrowed her eyes a she flipped over to the next page.

_Divination is the ability to analyse patterns and use this to uncover history (past) or to foretell the future usually through visions. Seers have been shown to exhibit divination in all its variations; clairvoyance, psychometry, intuition, and premonitions. A seer's prophecies usually manifested as cryptic riddles, though it is noted that visions become more and more precise as the event in question draws closer. Seers or witches that have been known to be gifted in divination, the visions could appear direct or indirect depending on the context. It is usually initiated by making some form of a connection with their subject, this could be physical contact or being in the same environment or having history with the subject._

_Trained seers seem to have control over their visions and can call them at will, however there have been others who have had visions without specialized control as their abilities were not developed._

Louise turned the page to see two different drawings along with more writing. The first drawing was a woman with a circle around her, knife in one hand while the other hand was hovering over a whole while her blood poured from her palm. The other image was a vampire feeding on a girl, a seer presumed. The brunette's fingertips traced the drawings before she moved on to reading.

_Due to the rarity of a seer; a seer's blood is mystical and are massive sources of magical power. Their blood can also be used to bind an extremely powerful curse or spell or to use as a power source in spells. It is said that vampires use seer's blood as an insight._

* * *

The next morning, Caroline stirred from her sleep, feeling the warm sun filtering through her window on her face. She opened her eyes remembering she hasn't felt that pain in days. Sighing, the blonde sat up and turned to face the window but was startled by two figures standing in front of her.

"Elena? Louise?" she questioned, hoping those two were the trusted Gilbert twins.

"Nope, try again." Katherine said.

"Katherine. Vivienne." Caroline eyed them from her bed, still physically trying to distance herself from both dangerous older vampires. "What do you want?" she questioned, looking down being anything but confident. She was scared and freaked out, wondering how they got into her home.

Katherine titled her, a small smirk playing on her lips. "I think we're scaring her."

Vivienne slowly glided towards the bed and sat on the corner. Caroline instantly scooted back even more. "Oh no. Don't be scared, Caroline." she said with a mock sympathy look on her face. A dark chuckle accompanied her next statement. "We're going to have so much fun together."

The blonde's eyes darted between both vampires who wore identical devilish looks and she gulp knowing there was no where she could run.

* * *

**A/N**

**Thoughts? What was your favourite moment?**

**jbail357: Thank you, so glad you're enjoying to far. **

**Machala: Glad you liked it! Hope you like this one.**

**Only reviewer: I don't think Louise thinks all vampires are bad people, especially since she has Stefan as an example and now Caroline's one, that's definitely not going to change her view on her. And** **one of the many reasons Louise has sort of welcomed vampires into her life is because they can't die and she won't lose them like she lost her parents.**


	4. Memory Lane

**Memory Lane**

* * *

In the midst of the busy a slightly busy Mystic Grill, Louise sat at one of the secluded tables in the corner as she read through the book she found when she visited Duke university. The past couple of days, she's been switching between reading the Petrova book and the seer one. She even took it upon herself to do some online research, though there wasn't much she could actually find that weren't myths. There were papers and notes sprawled out on the table as she tried to absorb all the information in the book.

Louise let out a heavy sigh as her hand reached for her basket of fries but only met the surface of the table. With furrowed eyebrows she looked up and immediately let out a groan when she saw Damon sat across from her with his usual smirk eating her fries.

The brunette ripped the basket from his hand before questioning in annoyance. "What do you want?"

Damon shrugged, his smirk never fading. "Oh, you know, just seeing how my best friend is doing."

"I'm trying to concentrate." Louise replied, glancing down at the book then back at him.

"Ah, right. So have you found anything interesting?"

Louise pursed her lips as she debated whether to let him know. With a smirk, she shrugged. "Perhaps."

Damon looked at her amused and moved to grabbed the book but Louise beat him to it and held it against her chest. He raised his eyebrow. "Are you five?"

"Nope. That'll be you." she said before she began gathering all the papers and notes to pack away in her bag. Louise slung the bag over her shoulder and got up.

"Where are _you_ going?"

"I want to concentrate and I'm not in the mood to be in your presence."

"Okay. See you at Jenna's barbecue." Damon called and of course Louise stopped dead in her tracks and spun to face the smirking vampire.

"Why are you going?" Louise questioned. "Jenna hates you."

"Blunt honesty, ouch. Besides it was my idea." Damon told her. Louise raised an eyebrow at him in confusion so he elaborated. "Jenna went to high school with Mason Lockwood so I figured a social gathering would be a good way to get to know the guy. So I told Ric to tell Jenna and-"

"What are you up to, Damon?" she asked suspiciously.

He walked closer to her, leaning down to her ear and whispered. "I'm going to put some silver in Mason Lockwood and prove that he's a werewolf." he said before standing up straight again. She hated the fact that he sent shivers down her spin but she hated his look even more when he had successfully affected her.

"Silver and werewolves...seems a bit stereotypical don't you think?" Louise crossed her arms across her chest as she raised a brow at him. From what she's learnt about the supernatural world, half the things you read about or see on tv are mostly myths.

"We'll soon find out." Just then a woman came up to him and handed him a big white box. He shot her a charming smile and nodded. "Perfect. Thank you." he said and she walked away. Damon turned back his attention to Louise, who looked at the box with a questioning look. "It's a peach cobbler - a peace offering for Jenna." he answered her unspoken question.

"See you at the barbecue." Damon flashed her another one of his smirks before walking off.

Louise watched Damon leave the grill with furrowed eyebrows. After a moment, she let out a sigh before walking out the door. Looking both ways before crossing the street, she headed to her car. Upon hearing whimpering, Louise halted beside a car and turned to see Caroline behind the steering wheel, crying.

"Caroline?"

The newbie vampire quickly became alerted and instantly began to wipe her eyes, not yet facing her friend. "Louise."

"Hey, are you okay?" Louise questioned moving closer to the car. Her voice was raised rather worried, eyebrows only underlining the serious concern on her face.

Caroline grabbed her bag before she proceeded to hop out of the car. "I'm just having a Matt moment." Her throat still felt thick and she wondered if the heaviness in her chest would go away. It only seemed to get worse as the days went on. As reality settled over her, as the truth weight of the situation sunk in. The blonde tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was really stupid to let him go." Her voice was small but at least she wasn't crying anymore.

Seeing her friend heartbroken made the brunette shiver like a leaf. Sucking in a breath, Louise placed her hand on her friend's upper arm. "You're not stupid, you're really brave to end it." Louise told her, giving her arm a squeeze. "Very selfless."

"Yeah, selfless. The new me." Caroline stated blandly.

"I hate seeing you like this. Is there anything I can do?"

Caroline shook her head. "No, I was going to binge out on some fried stuff..." Her eyes darted across the road to the grill before looking back at Louise. "But you look like you're on your way out so-"

"Yeah, Jenna's having a barbecue, Damon's big rouse to sus out Mason Lockwood but -" Louise cut herself off as an idea popped into her head. "Wait, do you wanna come?"

"I don't wanna party crash."

Caroline had been going through a lot recently, becoming a vampire an all and now having to break up with Matt for his own safety. And to make things more difficult for her, her long-time friend, Bonnie refuses to talk to her because of what she is. The blonde needed something to take her mind off of everything.

"No, don't be silly." Louise batted a hand in the air. "I want you there and I'm sure Elena would too."

"Okay." Caroline grinned.

"Okay, I'll meet you there."

* * *

"Thanks for letting me invite Caroline. She could use a day of distraction." Louise thanked her aunt as she helped set up for the barbeque in the kitchen while Elena and Caroline were outside on the porch. She ripped open a bag of potato chips and emptied it into a glass bowl. Jenna waved her hand dismissively.

"Well, she's not the plus one I'm worried about." Jenna looked up from where she was stacking the meat to shoot her niece a pointed look. "Why is Damon coming?"

Louise tried masking her nerves and shrugged. "Your boyfriend is the one who invited him. Come on Jenna, be nice."

Jenna scoffed. "I'll be nice when Damon learns to keep his paws off you."

"Good news! I found the shot glasses!" A voice boomed causing Louise and Jenna to turn to see Mason Lockwood entering the kitchen with a huge grin plastered on his face. In his hands were two shot glasses and a bottle of alcohol - which he set on the table.

"I guess that's m que to exit." Louise muttered as she grabbed the bowl of chips and walked out the kitchen. She stepped out on the porch where Caroline and Elena were.

Elena had her phone pressed to her ear but when it beeped she sighed. "Hey. Just checking in. Did you get my message about Jenna's barbecue? Call me when you can."

"Was that Stefan?" Louise asked as soon as her sister ended the call. The brunette moved to sit on one of the chairs beside Caroline and handed the blond the bowl of chips.

"Yeah, he hasn't called me back. I'm trying to decide if I should be worried." Elena mumbled to herself, already worried.

"I'm sure he's fine." Caroline spoke up. She crunched a chip in a mouth then groaned. "God! I cannot stop eating. Stefan says it's a great way to sublimate the cravings. It's horrible just fighting the urge for blood every minute of every day."

Elena nodded. "I know that Stefan really hates that part of himself."

"Yeah and he hates that you're a constant temptation." Caroline added mindlessly but Louise's eyes widened and so did Elena's. It was a well know fact that Caroline Forbes could be blunt and to the point to which sometimes come off as rude.

There's a sharp intake of breath from Elena. "He said that?"

"The desire to rip out your jugular every time he's with you?" The vampire questioned giving Elena a 'duh' look. "Trust me, it's there. It's why I had to break up with Matt."

Before the conversation could continue any further, in perfect timing, Alaric popped his head out the door to announce the food was ready. Elena jumped up and practically ran inside and a beaming Caroline rose to her feet ready to enter the house. "Finally, I'm starving!" The blonde frowned upon Louise blocking her entrance. "What's wrong?"

"Whatever you're trying to do, stop it!" Louise warned, her brown orbs piercing into Caroline as if they were staring into her soul.

"I'm not doing anything." Caroline defended.

Louise scoffed, her eyes narrowing as she folded her arms. "Elena didn't need to know any of that and you know it." Caroline's eyes fell to the floor in a form of guilt. "We've been friends for seventeen years, Care, so I can see through you. So, I'm warning you whatever you're trying to do or prove - don't." Caroline's eyes met Louise's once again and widened slightly and she swallowed. In that moment, Louise reminded her so much of Vivienne.

* * *

After everyone had something to eat, they all moved to the living for a game of Pictionary. Damon clearly didn't know the definition of subtle as he drew a wolf with a tutu on the board. Throughout lunch he kept spouting ideologies and euphemisms about wolves in attempt to rile Mason up and now he's furthered his mission with Pictionary.

"Dress! Ballerina!" Jenna called out, bouncing up and down on the couch.

"Puppy! Puppy with a tutu!" Caroline exclaimed but failed to answer correctly.

"No, no." Damon let out a heavy sigh in annoyance. He kept motioning to the picture frantically

"A dog! Hound-dog!" Jenna yelled out again. Louise smiled a little at her aunt, she was so piled up on alcohol by the sneaky Salvatore.

Mason shook his head in exasperation and drawled out in a bored force. "Dances with Wolves"

Damon sarcastically smirked and clamped the lid back onto the marker. "Mason wins...again."

"How is that a wolf?" Jenna yelled far to loud for everyone's liking. Louise made a mental note to take away any alcohol that her aunt tried to touch in the future.

Louise sighed and stood from her seat and headed to the kitchen, leaving them to argue over Damon's questionable art skills. She could hear more laughter coming from the living room and smiled to herself. It sounded like everyone was enjoying themselves. Louise began taking the peach cobbler that Damon had brought out the box when he came strolling in the kitchen.

"Aunt Jenna is getting tipsy." he announced with a smirk.

Louise didn't look up from taking the pie from the box as she resorted. "Maybe because you keep plying her with alcohol."

"I want her to like me." He defended himself and Louise rolled her eyes playfully.

"How is operation Lockwood?" she questioned. "You need to be careful."

"Glad to know you care. He's my new BFF." Damon whispered in her ear.

Louise shivered and jumped back. His closeness unnerved her. She looked up into his smirking face, they were so close that their shoulders practically touched. Their staring contest was interrupted when Jenna waked into the kitchen.

"There you are." The elder human eyed Louise and Damon from behind the centre island. "Isn't this fun?" She grinned.

"Yes, thank you so much for inviting me." Damon said immediately and Louise rolled her eyes as she moved to the cutlery.

"Did I have a choice?" Jenna deadpanned.

Damon moved closer to her murmured. "I know what you must think about me..."

"No, you don't." Jenna cut him off. "You've never dated you; I have dated _many_ you's."

"I'm a work in progress." Louise handed her aunt a pie cutter from the cutlery set. Damon eye's caught the sight of the silver. "These are fancy."

The vampire walked over to the cutlery. "Thanks. My mother's silver set." Jenna told him.

Damon reached into the bottom of the cutlery box and pulled out a silver knife with a smirk. Louise narrowed her eyes at him, not liking the sudden mischievous glint in his eyes. She followed his gaze - his pale blue eyes fixed on Mason all while twirling the knife in his hand.

"Don't even think about it." Louise muttered, plucking the knife from him and putting it back before going to help Jenna set the table.

* * *

"Mason," Damon announced as he brought the peach cobbler over to the dinning room table and in front of the Lockwood male. "Why don't you start us off?" Jenna's mother's silver glinted beneath the peach cobbler, it's handle sticking out at Mason who eyed it with cautionary eyes.

"Sure." Mason's eyes flicked from the peach cobbler to the vampire then back to the desert. He turned the plate around so the silver was no longer facing him then dug his hand in and serving himself a rather large piece. Damon and Alaric exchanged looks as Mason grinned and shoved the cobbler in his mouth. "I apologize," Mason gulped down the remains of the cobber in his mouth. "I'm an animal."

Damon furrowed his eyebrows at Mason's choice of words and Alaric chuckled to cover up the awkwardness.

"So Mason, you and Jenna never dated?" Alaric asked.

"She was always lost in Logan Fell land."

Jenna grimaced at the mention of her ex's name as she walked over to the table. "My first mistake. Mason was a catch; he had girls lining up."

"Really?" Damon asked as he took a seat opposite Mason. "I always pegged you for a lone wolf."

"I'm sure I wasn't half the lady killer you were." Mason shot back. His once playful tone was now hard. He was playing Damon's game, sending his own quips. Quips that suggested he knew what or who Damon was. Mason lifted up his beer. "How about a toast? To new friends."

Louise watched from the couch in the living room as the adults clinked their drinks together. Caroline sat opposite her and Elena sat beside. The eldest Gilbert was worried. She's been texting and calling Stefan all day but heard absolutely nothing from her boyfriend. So now she's been making a mental list of all the horrible things that might have happened.

"Would I be the worst friend and sister in the world if I abandoned you guys and went to Stefan's?" Elena asked as she rose from the couch.

"You want to leave?" Caroline asked with what seemed to be panic written across her face.

"He hasn't got back to you yet?" Louise questioned ignoring her friend's little outburst.

Elena shook her head. "No and I'm starting to get this bad feeling."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Elena." Caroline said.

"Damon's got it under control here...I think." Elena gestured to her twin. "And Louise's is here so she can keep an eye on him."

"Not that I'm his babysitter but I can keep an eye on him." Louise announced.

Elena nodded and braced herself to leave but Caroline stopped her. "Take it from me, there's nothing worse than a clingy girlfriend."

"I'm not being clingy, I'm just concerned." Elena stated softly. "You understand, right, Lou?"

"Yeah sure." Louise assured her before looking towards her blonde friend. "What's gotten into you today?"

Caroline completely ignored Louise, her attention still on Elena. "How about I drive you?" she suggested.

"Yeah, okay, that'll be great, thanks." Elena nodded, earning the vampire to nod too.

As Elena walked off, Caroline went to go with her but Louise's grip on her wrist forced her to urn to face the brunette. "A minute ago you were against Elena going anywhere close to Stefan." Louise pointed out. "Now you're offering to drive her. What's really going on, Caroline?"

Caroline's eyes widened slightly but she pulled her wrist from Louise and shook her head. "N-nothing. I, erm, I'm just having really bad mood swings at the moment." she explained hurriedly but Louise continued to eye suspiciously. "I'm sorry but, Elena's waiting for me." There wasn't a chance for the brunette to add anything as the vampire rushed out after Elena.

Louise couldn't shake the strange feeling she's been getting from Caroline all day but she couldn't focus on that right now as she was on Damon duty. Walking into the kitchen, she almost bumped into Mason on his way out.

"Did something just happen?" Louise asked, as Damon looked up at him eyeing her curiously. He wondered if she just caught him stealing her grandmother's silver.

"Nothing." Damon shrugged. "Though, Mason did just admit to being the wolf that attack Stefan and Caroline the night of the full moon."

Louise swallowed and nodded not knowing what to say. After a few moments of silence, Louise finally uttered. "And that's all I'll be able to handle tonight."

* * *

Later that night, Louise got a text from Elena to meet her at the grill. She moved towards the ladies' room and the door swung open before she could do it herself. Without acknowledging her, Caroline rushed pass her and Louise watched the blonde go sit in one of the booths. She'll have to talk to her once she was finished in the bathroom.

The brunette went into one of the cubicles and done her business. She then moved to the sink to wash her hands.

Louise froze feeling that odd sense of cold chill. She turned and felt as though all air had left her lungs as if she has been punched in the stomach. Louise stood there, eyes wide, heart pounding with disbelief and fear cascading down her spine sending trembles through her body staring at her, the woman who she now know was, Vivienne Pierce.

She knew that they looked a lot alike but didn't expect it would be that much. They could be twins. Like real, twins.

Louise realised she was holding her breath and slowly exhaled. Vivienne smiled, well it's not exactly a smile more of a smirk. The vampire tilted her head still smiling with a ominous curve to her lips as she studied her exact copy from head to toe. Louise understood and finds herself doing the same but more discreet. Her eyes travelled over her black leather jacket, red plunge blouse with black skinny jeans and finally black heeled boots.

Her eyes travelled back up and when they finally met Vivienne's she shivered. The shared the same features, the complexion, same lips and even the same brown eyes - no these eyes were a tad darker. Louise wore her hair dead straight while Vivienne's dark locs fell in ringlets.

Vivienne never stopped smirking. Louise opened her mouth slightly - there are so many things she wanted to say but she can't manage to speak, she hadn't quite recovered from the shock. The vampire took a step forward and Louise doesn't move. She can't.

When she felt Vivienne's breath on her face she eyes fluttered close. She was too close for her liking. Then she heard her voice.

"Hello, Louise." She doesn't answer but instead opened her eyes. Vivienne is staring right back into her. The smirk on her face had disappeared. They stood in front of each other, silence in the room until the vampire spoke again. "I assume I need no introduction."

"Vivienne." Was all Louise said.

"In the flesh." Vivienne taunted as her cold hand reached Louise's necklace. Her fingers slightly touch the necklace which was suppose to protect her. Fear ran through Louise as she saw that the vervain didn't affect Vivienne.

"How do we look exactly alike?" Louise manged to whisper.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Vivienne asked. "They said we are similar but I could have never imagined anything like this." She gently touched one of the strands of Louise's hair then paused to look back at her doppelganger. "Clearly, I am the prettier one."

"Why are you here?" Louise questioned.

"Aren't you happy to see me, Louise?" Vivienne asked. "Because I am absolutely thrilled to meet you! I have been ever so anxious to meet the only other woman besides moi to ensnare the heart of Damon Salvatore."

The vampire circled her before she was right back face to face with her exact copy. Louise stared at the vampire for a moment unsure of what to say, before she could reply Vivienne spoke again.

"So, Louise," Vivienne began with a partially curious tone, ignoring her question, she asked. "How exactly did you manage it?" Her doppelganger gave her a puzzled look before Vivienne continued. "Having Damon wrapped around your finger. I know you turned him with your looks, after all, you look just like me." she said arrogantly. "But there's something else about you that has him hooked." She tapped her finger against her lips as she thought for a brief moment. "Is it the sex? Would definitely explain why you have Damon so besotted. He was always such a horn dog, could never get enough of me"

The brunette took another step closer. "I mean I couldn't resist him the other night..." Her finger lightly traced her doppelganger's face. Louise gasped as she saw flashes of Damon and Vivienne in bed together. "Too bad he thought I was you." She smirked and Louise's eyes narrowed into a glare at her.

"Why are you back in Mystic Fall?" Louise questioned again.

"So many questions, so little time for answers. You'll find out soon enough." Vivienne said, she leaned her head to the side as she examined her doppelganger. "Anyways, Louise, I'm so glad we finally met. I enjoyed our little conversation but it's time to dash." And with that she was gone. Louise let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding.

After a few moments, Louise soon left the bathroom, shaking from the experience of coming face to face with the woman that shared her face.

"What's wrong, Louise. You look like you just seen a ghost." The brunette looked up to see the blue eyed Salvatore stood before her.

"I met her."

"Who?" Damon questioned, brows furrowed.

"V-Vivienne." Louise stuttered with her words. "It was...She was...I can't even explain it." She shook her head and covered her face with her hands. "Oh, god." The vampire reached to rub her arm and that action seemed to automatically sooth her. She sighed before changing the subject. "So, how did mission Mason go?"

"You know that whole silver is fatal to werewolves?" He asked and she nodded. "Well you were right - it's a myth."

"I told you so." Louise said.

"Yeah, yeah. I already said you were right!"

"You need to keep your impulses in check otherwise you'll end up hurt."

At her statement, a smirk pulled on his lips. "It's flattering to see you care."

The seer sucked in a breath and choose to ignore his comment. She crossed her arms. "Wait, so if Mason's a werewolf and the so was the Mayor...does that mean Tyler is too?"

"I'm not sure."

Louise frowned when her gaze landed on Elena and Stefan sitting at one of the tables. They didn't look too happy. "What's going?" she asked Damon, gesturing to the couple.

"Want me to eavesdrop?" Damon followed her gaze, focusing on his brother's conversation, his heightened hearing picking it up.

"No." she denied though she was curious to what was happening between them.

"From the look on your face says the complete opposite so I'm taking that as a yes." After a moment, the vampire spoke again. "They're fighting."

"What? They never fight."

"Seems like Katherine is putting a strain on their relationship." Damon told her and she continued to frown as she watched the couple. Suddenly, Elena got up from her seat and stormed out of the Grill while Stefan sat back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. Not even bothering to say goodbye to Damon, Louise hurried after her sister.

* * *

The brisk March air nipped Damon's skin when he finally existed the grill. Though he never admit it, he was extremely pissed at himself. He just couldn't do anything right these past few weeks. With all the chaos in Mystic Falls he was amazed that he even made it this far without going completely insane. It was all Vivienne's fault. He had been telling himself that since she arrived. But deep down he knew that she nor her sister was the real problem. It was him who was the problem.

It wasn't Vivienne's fault that he snapped Jeremy's neck. It was his own for losing control. And now all he can do was feel the regret that continuously washed through his entire body. Louise was now talking to him, so that's a start. Though he thought things would have gotten back how they were by now but they haven't. Louise still keeps him at arms length, which makes him cringe with guilt. At least he's stuck with an enemy werewolf to keep him occupied. That's until Mason Lockwood sinks his teeth into him.

Damon raised an eyebrow as that. Could he actually take on Mason as a werewolf?

"Bad day?"

Damon was instantly pulled from his thoughts. A surge of hope jolted through him at the voice. It was Louise's voice. He turned to the direction of the voice and his hope was replaced with anger. It wasn't Louise.

"Bad century." He spat in a mocking tone and Vivienne chuckled in response. Damon rolled his eyes and began to walk away. He had no time for foolish games right now. There was much bigger problems with Mason and he didn't need Vivienne to make him lose control again. The sound of clicking on the pavement made him stop to glance over his shoulder. Vivienne was following close behind. "Are you following me?"

The brunette shrugged. "Maybe I am." She grinned slightly at his anger before changing the subject. "Oh, come on, Damon. Why so pouty? Are you jealous Stefan got to spend the whole day with Katherine?"

Damon glared at her in surprise. He took a moment to compose himself before answering. "Sorry. I don't do jealous. Not with you anyway." He turned and started to walk away again.

"Then why so pouty?" she questioned following once again.

**"**I tried to kill a werewolf, I failed." He sighed. "Now I feel like I'm not living up to my best self."

**"**Well, werewolves aren't easy prey."

Damon turned sharply to face her. "What do you know about werewolves?"

**"**Why don't you ask your brother, I'm sure he'll fill you in." Vivienne replied. Damon didn't say anything as he watch her place her hand on her hip. "Don't try to be the hero, Damon. You'll end up dead."

"Suddenly, you care?"

"Of course I care. I don't want you dead, Damon. How could I want my sweet innocent Damon Salvatore dead? It's like you don't know me at all, or have you forgot everything we've been through in 1864?"

**Mystic Falls, 1864**

_It was a cloudy day, Vivienne was taking a walk in the large garden of the Salvatore mansion. Stefan and Katherine were off somewhere and Giuseppe Salvatore was out of town, leaving the house all for her and Damon. Vivienne was a mischievous grin was thinking of some new moves she could teach Damon. Her sweet innocent Damon._

_She could hear footsteps approaching from a distance and smile knowingly to herself. By the time her gaze locked with Damon's her heart had begun to beat rapidly in her chest. They had not gotten moments alone together in a very long time, but today she had the entire day to spend with him. Now it was time to start the came._

_"Catch me if you can, Mr Salvatore." Vivienne said with a playful tone and without warning she took off running._

_"Like I always do, Miss Pierce." Was the answer he gave and the one she was expecting._

_She could feel the gentle breeze caressing her skin, listening to Damon calling out to her from afar, while he pursued her. It had always been like that with them. One of the things he liked the most was the sense of control that came with feeling that she was his prey. Oh, the irony. He was only human and she was a predator. But that would all change one day, she was sure of it. His desire to feel like he had the upper hand and belief in the illusion that thoroughly amused Vivienne._

_Despite being faster, she let him catch her every time because she knew what was coming after. Often it would be foreplay before they lost themselves in each other. _

_Her playful smile mirrored Damon's. If Vivienne was still human she would be shivering by now. The atmosphere had changed and she could feel the droplets falling while the day was turning darker. Vivienne began slowing down to give Damon the opportunity to catch her so she could be in his arms._

_A moment later, he was holding her by the waist, hugging her from behind. His vibrant laughter was contagious. His chest rose and fell from lack of air but he wasted no time n bestowing kisses along her neck. A weakness of hers he knew all to well resulting in a flurry of emotions she found difficult to explain. His tongue started to travel from her neck to her ear. She was having a hard time catching her breath too, despite needing none._

_Trying to regain the upper hand and control, she turned around and slowly traced a line across his exposed chest with a single finger, then brushed them along the outline of his mouth and it didn't require vampire hearing to detect Damon's shortness of breaths or the thundering of his heart._

_The gentle droplets of rain was replaced by a battering torrential downpour. But none of that mattered to the two lovers who remained standing there in the harsh rain._

_Damon pushed Vivienne against a nearby tree and soon their tongues met in a fiery kiss. With wet clothes, they gave way to the passion they had for one another, letting it rush out like a flood. He pulled her body closer to his and she could feel his erection. Her nipples hardened instantly._

_"You're driving me insane." Damon could not stop running his hand all over her body as if he could not get enough of her. Lifting her leg around his waist, he pressed his erection even closer against her core, making Vivienne hold him tighter if that was possible. __A small moan escaped her lips when Damon started stroking her nipple thought the fabric of her clothes. A moan that was silence by another searing kiss._

_Vivienne couldn't help herself from biting his lower lip with a devilish glean and saying, "A lady cannot be seen this way outside her home. I think it's time to christen that barn, don't you agree?" While Damon followed her, the anticipation radiated throughout his body._

Damon shook his head. "Okay, Viviene enough with the memory lane. We had great sex. I know that but according to you; 'I never loved you. You were just a play toy to me.' Ring any bells?"

Vivienne let out an abrupt chuckle. "I can't believe you bought that. You're smarter than that, Damon. At least, I thought you were. Louise must really have you stupidly in love if you couldn't figure out what my angle was that night."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"I lied that night when I said I never loved you. I lied."

Damon was speechless. All he can do is stare at her, which she took as a green light to continue.

"You've lived a hundred plus years and you're trying to tell me that you've never heard the popular phrase 'divide and conquer'? Isobel had some interesting thing to say about you and Louise, how you were practically a team, working together, you doing anything to protect...her." The bitterness in her tone was unmistakeable. "It never seemed to bother you that you were..." She paused, intentionally drawing out her taunting like a slow sinking knife. "How do teenagers say it nowadays?" She smiled cruelly. "Friendzoned. That's not the Damon I know. The Damon Salvatore I remembered would've fought for it. That's how I knew my beloved doppelganger was changing you - she was destroying what I created. So it was a win-win, destroying your little union and reminding you who you really are."

Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "A monster?"

"We are what we are, Damon. It hurts me more than it hurt you telling you I never loved you when I knew it was a lie."

Damon gave her his most sarcastic smile but his eyes were burning. Anger? Contempt? He didn't know exactly what he was feeling but he was holding back evert muscle in his body to not choke her, still doubtful of the things she was saying, still believing she only wanted to toy with him like she always had. It was Vivienne Pierce after all, the queen of manipulation and mind games.

He gathered what little composure he could, not wanting to reveal how much she was affecting him right now. "Oh, I doubt that."

"It's true. I know you don't want to believe me but I always loved you, Damon. Maybe if things went differently, we could've been happy, the two of us travelling the world, experiencing life had to offer, together." Vivienne shrugged. "Maybe, that can still be us. Wouldn't you like that?"

"You live in a fantasy world, Vivienne."

"I can see you're still hurt by my words but that's all they are, Damon. Words."

Rolling his eyes again, Damon let out a bitter laugh, but kept his sarcastic smile. "Oh, how I wish I could believe you. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me hundreds of time, shame on me."

"I'm telling the truth." Vivienne said.

"How do I know you're not lying again? Because every thing you're saying," He paused. "It's only that. Words. That's all they are." He quipped with satisfaction on his face. "That's all you do, Vivienne. Lies and manipulations are your signature moves."

"If you don't want to believe me, that's all on you but I loved you. I still do." she told him. "And I know you still love me too."

"I'm not interested, Vivienne." Damon bellowed. "And I never will be again." He moved to walk away but she flashed in front of him.

"It's her isn't it?" She titled her head up and narrowed her eyes in on him. "I want you to end this," She waved her hand dismissively. "Infatuation with Louise. You know that girl is nothing more than a placeholder - a pathetic imitation of who you really want." She stepped closer to him. "You need to be cut out of her life, _permanently_. No more second chances." She pressed against him and placed her hands on his chest. "If you don't remove her from your life completely, I will kill everyone she has ever met while she watches then I'll kill her while _you_ watch. Do I make myself clear?"

* * *

**A/N: The end of this chapter. Hope you guys liked it. ****Thoughts? **

**And as always you can check out my tumblr 'tangleddiaries' to see edits and sneak peaks to chapters.**


	5. Kill Or Be Killed

**Kill or Be Killed**

* * *

"I can't believe Tyler Lockwood is a werewolf." Jeremy expressed to Louise as he leaned against the wall of their joined bathroom as he watched her dry her hair with a towel. The brunette scowled at Jeremy's reflection briefly before returning to her hair. Due to Elena's no lying policy, the twins told Jeremy about the Lockwoods.

"We're not sure about that yet." she told him. "The only thing we know for sure is that _Mason_ Lockwood is."

"It should be enough easy for us to figure it out."

Louise paused, turning to face her brother with pointed eyes. "There is no _us_. Just because you're in the loop, that doesn't mean that you're allowed to be involved in it."

"By definition of being in this family, I'm involved." Jeremy held up his hand, showing her the Gilbert's ring and Louise tilted her head at it before shaking her head.

"This is dangerous, Jeremy. You have to stay out of it, okay?"

"Alright." he conceded. "Just saying."

Louise thought that was too easy but decided not to question him as watched as her brother leave the bathroom. After drying then straightening her hair, the brunette moved back into her bedroom to continue getting ready for Historical Society picnic that she had to attend in an hour or so. She wore a dark red tee with a denim mini skirt and all black vans.

* * *

Most of mystic Fall's residents were gathered in the public park in honour of Historical Society Volunteer Day. Preparations are underway. Carol Lockwood was giving a speech but the eldest Salvatore tuned out as he saw his brother walking over to Mason Lockwood. He had a feeling he knew what their conversation would be about. Damon had let it slip last night he tried and failed to kill Mason. Surprisingly, Stefan did not seem all too happy that they now had an enemy with a lethal bite. Damon wasn't thrilled about it either but he just figured he'd have to be more creative with killing Mason before he had a chance to turn.

The blue eyed vampire rolled his eyes as he watched Stefan and Mason shake hands before the werewolf walked off. He moved over to his brother.

"What are you doing?" he questioned. Stefan didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Negotiating peace on your behalf." Stefan responded.

Damon groaned. "I don't want peace."

His brother shrugged. "Consider it opposite day."

"Stefan." Damon clamped his hand on his brother's shoulder, walking around him to face him. He narrowed his eyes with curiosity. "Please tell me you don't seriously think a hand shake just solved our problem."

"No, actually I think that the first chance Mason Lockwood gets, he's gonna drive a stake through your heart and then through mine." Stefan resorted sourly. "All because you took it upon yourself to try to kill him. So thank you, because we don't have enough problems." With a hard clap on Damon's shoulder, the younger Salvatore walked away.

Damon stared after him, knowing what he did to Mason had backfired to the very extreme. After a moment, he soon caught sight of the youngest Gilbert twin walking across the lawn with cans of paint in each hand. He smirked as he sauntered over to her, moving close to her ear as he whispered.

"Miss me?" Almost dropping the cans of paint, Louise gasped as she turned her head in surprise and her lips almost cullieded with Damon's cheek because of how close he was to her. She was taken back at their proximity and had to catch her breath. "Keep breathing, Louise. You need oxygen especially in combination with that racing heart of yours."

Her eyes narrowed at him, tongue between her teeth, shaking her head. "You're impossible."

"You know how to take advantage of the fact I'm not immune to you, it's only fair I know how to do the same." He shrugged lightly.

"Except, I am immune to you!"

"Uh-uh. Very convincing after you just almost passed out at only minimal physical contact between us."

"I did not almost pass out!" She objected.

"It's okay, Louise. It's the curse of the Salvatores. Or blessing, really. We're just pretty damn irresistible."

"Whatever. You just surprised me that's all." Louise told him and began walking away. Of course, the vampire followed. "Are you gonna follow me around?"

"Well, considering that my dear brother is annoying, I figured it's only fair if I found someone to annoy too." Damon's next action caused her to stop. He draped his arm around her shoulder in the carefree, playful manner he had gotten so accustomed to over the last century and a half as he leaned forward a little, looking into her eyes the way he would always try to when he was around her. "And since you are my favourite person in the world, I decided that someone would be you."

"I thought _you_ were your favourite person in the world."

"Hmm, you're right but you are a close second." He smirked as his other hand went up to her face and his index finger touched the tip of her nose for less than a second.

Louise froze at the gesture, even though she should be used to his ways by now. Naturally their gaze met and once again she's blown away by the intensity in his breath-taking eyes. She forced herself back to reality and shrugged of his touch as she looked away.

"Don't do that." she murmured almost inaudibly. Damon didn't seem to be bothered by this as he allowed her to break the one sided embrace. They continued to walked and without looking at him she asked. "Anyways, why's Stefan annoying you?"

Damon groaned. "He's trying to negotiate peace on my behalf. Just when we were getting some drama around here."

The seer turned her head to give him a look while shaking her head. Of course a look of this nature made him smirk more. "We don't need any more drama, Damon."

* * *

Louise finally found her way back to the area where, her, Caroline and Elena were suppose to help paint for the opening of the park. Both girls were painting a beautifully made veranda. The brunette approached them holding up the cans of paint. "Here. More paint for you."

"Thank you." Caroline nodded as she continued her story. "So suddenly, she's in the running for Mother of the Year just when I'm trying to avoid her the most." Louise had grabbed her paintbrush and continued her area before she went to grab more paint while Elena was deeply distracted by her own life, she was tuning in out of Caroline's drama to which the blonde notice. "I'm babbling, you don't want to hear all this."

"Oh, no, sorry." Elena apologised, shaking her head.

Louise looked over at Caroline. "Well I just entered to conversation so..-"

"Then what happened?" Elena asked.

"Well, I was a bitch which is par for the course with us." The vampire confessed. There was a brief pause before the blonde spoke again. "So, how are things with you and Stefan? Anything?"

"No, not since the fight." Elena looked at Louise and Caroline briefly before returning to staining the shelter post in front of her. "He's been pushing me away because he thinks that Katherine might get jealous enough to hurt me. I just don't know how to change his mind."

"You said that Katherine's dangerous." Caroline stated. "Maybe he's got a point."

"Yeah, I know that she's dangerous and I know that he's just trying to protect me but it feels like giving up and I just..."

"Just what?" Caroline piped up, sounding more interested now.

"I just thought that we were stronger than that."

"You are, Elena." Louise stopped painting to move closer to her sister. "What you and Stefan have is special. He's only pushing you away because he doesn't want you to get hurt. Everything will work itself out."

Elena gave her a small smile before looking away. She hated lying to Louise. Silence fell between the three as they continued doing their work, painting over various things. That's until Elena looked up and locked eyes Stefan who was twenty meters away working on pieces of plywood to cut for whatever project he was assigned to. Caroline looked between the vampire and human.

"Oh, oh." Caroline noted. "Longing looks are being exchanged."

"You should go talk to him." Louise suggested from her spot, a little further away from them. The twins locked eyes and Louise nodded giving Elena an assuring smile. "If you want him, you fight for him."

Caroline practically scoffed. "No, Elena. I think it's a bad idea."

Louise gave Caroline a cold, hard stare the immediately told her to shut up before looking back at Elena with encouraging eyes. A smile spread across the eldest Gilbert's face as she dropped her paint brush and stood up and heading towards Stefan. Louise stood, folding her arms across her chest. She looked over her shoulder, feeling someone close behind her and saw Damon.

"What's her problem?" The vampire asked.

"Don't worry about it." Caroline responded.

"It's you brother." Louise muttered, shifting slightly as she felt him edge a bit closer to her.

Damon eyed his Stefan and Elena before he tore his gaze away to look at Caroline. "Why are you being such a bitch to your mom?"

"Don't worry about it." The blonde repeated.

Across the yard, Elena now approached Stefan and immediately asked. "Do you still care about Katherine?"

Stefan's forest green eyes snapped up to look at her and he pleaded. "Don't do this. Please don't turn this into something that it's not."

"So this is not for discussion." Elena pressed. "That's what you're saying?"

"No, I'm saying that this isn't up for discussion right now because we have ears on us." Stefan jerked his head towards Caroline and Damon who were anxiously hanging on to every word. Louise watched, not receiving the words but fully understanding the situation. Once caught, the two vampires pretending they weren't listening.

"Okay, when?" Elena questioned.

"I don't know."

"I saw her Stefan." The brunette continued. "It's like we are the same person. How could you hate her and be in love with me?"

"You're reaching." Stefan stated with a humourless smile. "I'm not...I'm not Damon and you're not Louise."

"How about we don't bring our siblings into this right now?"

"You know, I can't...I can't do this anymore, Elena."

Remembering from earlier that meant 'I love you', Elena replied in code. "Fine, Stefan. Whatever."_ I love you, too._

With that the human walked off. Damon and Caroline watched as Stefan let out a frustrated sigh, while Louise furrowed her brows as she watched the vampire. She knew something wasn't right about this. The way the couple acted was almost too perfect.

"Relationships are about communication."

In sync both Caroline and Louise turned to narrow their eyes at Damon before they both walked off. Caroline followed after Elena while Louise approached the youngest Salvatore.

"Hey," she greeted, stopping in front of him and crossing her arms across her chest. "What's going on? What's happening?"

A heavy sigh escaped Stefan's lips. "We had a fight."

"Yeah, I saw." Louise nodded slowly. "But, I don't get it, Stefan. I know you guys and you two wouldn't fight over something so..." While the brunette tried to find the words, Stefan stiffened as he realised she was on to them.

"I don't really want to talk about it, Louise, so drop it." The vampire then left the seer standing there without another word. Though that only fuelled her suspicions even more.

* * *

"Elena!" Louise called as she jogged over to Elena who was in Caroline's company at the end of the woods. Sensing the tension in the air, the seer question. "What's wrong?" She glanced around the park didn't spot either Stefan or Damon and her stomach dropped.

"I don't know. Something's up.." Caroline replied suspiciously as she walked past both brunettes into the woods.

Elena and Louise exchanged looks before following the vampire. "Where are you going? What's going on?" The eldest Gilbert questioned.

"I need to be able to hear better." Caroline mumbled, climbing onto a small hill. She closed her eyes, getting into deep concentration, tucking her blonde curls behind her ear heighten her already strong vampire senses.

"Hear what?" Elena piped up.

"Something's wrong, Elena."

"Caroline-" Louise began to say but the vampire cut her off by shushing her. Neither her or Elena spoke again as they watched their newly turned vampire friend concentrate on listening to something. Louise eyes drifted towards the woods - the peacefulness not sitting well with her. After what seemed like forever, Caroline's eyes flew open.

"Oh god."

"What is it?" Elena asked, worriedly.

Caroline hesitated before she replied. "Stefan and Damon."

_Damon_. Louise's head spins and she felt as though she was about to throw up. Suddenly, Caroline sprinted off into the woods and the Gilbert twins didn't hesitate in following after her. Louise had never been more grateful in the moment for her friend becoming a vampire because without a vampire, the Salvatore brothers would be lost to them. Caroline stopped abruptly in her tracks.

"What is it?" Elena questioned breathlessly, bending over to grasp her knees. If it had been a different scenario, Louise would be the first to remark about her sister's health.

"They've been here." Caroline announced, bending down to one knee to examine a plant. With a frown, she whipped something off the plant and lifted her hand to show a bright red liquid dripping down her finger.

"I-Is that blood?" Louise asked and she willed Caroline to disagree. Blood was never a good sign. Caroline switched her gaze from her finger to meet Louise's chocolate brown eyes before she managed to give her a small nod. Before panic could fully set into the Gilbert girls, a twig snapped from behind them and they both whipped round to face Mason Lockwood.

"What are you three doing out here?" His tone was less friendly than the last time they saw him.

"Have you seen Stefan?" Elena asked, trying to act as normal as possible.

"Yeah Elena, I've seen him." Mason responded before his eyes flickered towards Louise. "Seen Damon too."

Louise's eyes narrowed at the delight on the werewolf's face. "Where are they?" Louise hissed, moving to take a step forward only for Elena to grab her hand, halting her.

"You don't need me for that. I'll let your friend here sniff them out." Mason sneered, his eyes never wavering from Caroline. "Does your mother know what you are? I'm happy to tell her." Caroline moved towards him but Mason was too quick as he grabbed Elena from beside Louise, his hand folding around her neck in a death hold. "Don't be stupid!" He warned. "Necks snap easy around here."

"I can take you." Caroline stated confidently.

"Wanna bet?"

His challenge caused a change in her demeaner. "Yeah. I do."

Within a flash, Caroline had her own grip around Mason's neck and slammed him into the tree nearby. His grip had loosen on Elena which helped her to wriggle out of and drop to the safety of the ground. Louise rushed forwards to her sister, pulling her away from a smirking vampire and growling werewolf.

"I told you." Caroline smirked. She then lifted her knee into his groin before kicking his feet from under him. With one final hard kick to the stomach that sent him flying against the tree which echoed through the woods. "Come on." The vampire called out to the twins as if it was a casual outing.

The trio started off running once again, eyes peering around the forest for any sort of movements. Soon enough they stopped on another piece of land covered in ruins. From inside Caroline could hear mother talking and the smell of blood and vervain in the air.

"What is that?" Elena asked.

"Caroline. Caroline, what is it?"

Louise eyed the vampire. The lack of response making her feel frantic and when the blonde finally spoke, her words done nothing but quell that fear. "My mom. She's killing them."

The words barely registered with Louise before she was rushing towards the stares without any other thought but Damon. An iron grip wrapped around her waist and effectively pulled her away from the stairs. She didn't have to look back to know it was Caroline who had stopped her from descending the stairs.

"Caroline" Louise exclaimed in a hush whisper. Her hands frantically tore at the vampire's hands around her waist that didn't budge. "We have to stop her."

Elena was soon in front of Louise, her hands closing around her sister's in attempt to get her out of Caroline's hold.

"No, I can't." Caroline shook her head. "She's gonna find out about me."

Louise halted her struggling to glance back at her friend's worried expression. Her blue eyes met hers and almost instantly Caroline loosened her grip. This gave Elena the chance to free Louise from Caroline's grip and pulled her down the stairs.

Once they reached the bottom, Louise skimmed the floor for a weapon, anything and found a 2x4 and picked it up. She noticed the older twin shooting her a look. "What? You think we're going in there unarmed?"

They then moved to push open the large metal gate and Louise cringed when it made a loud creak that echoed through the stone walls. No sooner than the gate betrayed their entrance, Liz Forbes was heard ordering someone to check out the alarming sound. Automatically, pushed them both into the shadows. The youngest twin raised the plank as she saw a shadow moving towards them. Without a second thought, she slammed the piece of wood onto the deputy's head and he fell to the floor with a thud.

Louise muttered a 'sorry' to him but was interrupted when Elena hauled her away from the unconscious body and straight towards the room where they heard the sheriff's voice come from.

"Elena! Louise!" Liz gasped, her eyes flickering between the two brunettes as she slowly lowered her gun. "What are you two doing?"

Louise eyed the gun curiously as she spoke. "I'm not gonna let you kill them."

As if sensing the promise in her words, Louise and Elena was suddenly pushed forward into the centre of the room. Guns being pointed at them, ready to fire. But soon enough, the familiar sound of the gate echoed throughout the walls that followed a gush of wind in the room.

"What was that?" The deputy questioned.

Liz scanned the room before her gaze landed back on Louise and Elena. "Who else is with you?"

Caroline.

The vampire blurred across the room. The deputy let out a cry in pain as a mast of blonde hair bent over his neck. His partner wasted no time shooting blindly at the vampire but Caroline was too quick. She used the now dead body as a shield before dropping the body and blurring over to the other deputy shooting at her. She knocked his gun from his hand then threw him into the wall behind him. Caroline's breathing was ragged but she eventually managed to calm herself. She stepped into the light to face her mother, her mouth covered in blood.

"Hi mum."

* * *

Sherriff Forbes and Caroline are both sat quietly in the different parts of the cell while the Gilbert twins are attending to both the Salvatore brothers.

"Are you okay?" Louise asked worriedly from her spot on the ground next to the eldest Salvatore. Without releasing what she was doing, her hand reached up to gently brush his cheek on it's own accord. Her breath caught her in her throat as her fingers brushed his raven hair away from his eyes. Damon looked up at her, no sarcastic remark, no classic smirk, only pure curiosity filled his face. Neither of them said anything and Damon eyes fluttered close leaning into her touch.

"I thought I lost you today." Louise whispered, letting her fingers trace the features of his face.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily." he said. She began to pull his shirt away from his skin to inspect the damage. "You know, if you want to see me naked all you have to do is ask."

Louise fought the urge to roll her eyes as she continued to inspect him. "That looks painful are you going to be okay? Do you need blood?"

"Why? Are you offering?" His trademark smirk formed on his lips. Louise barely gave it any thought before she replied, yes. His eyes met hers in surprise. "You really mean that don't you?"

The seer scooted closer to him, never breaking eye contact. For the first time she saw Damon be careful, almost hesitant. His fingers brushed against the skin of her neck, draping her hair over one shoulder which left a side of her neck completely exposed. Louise titled her head to give him a better angle and Damon moved closer but instead of plunging his fangs into her neck, he whispered in her ear.

"Thanks for the offer but I think I'll have some deputy..." He trailed off and the brunette followed his gaze to the deputy's body laying on the floor. Louise released a breath she didn't realise she was holding, nodded in understanding and moving for him to feed. The vampire wasted no time sinking his fangs into the deputy and Louise's stomach churned as she listened to him slurping nosily on the blood.

Once Damon could feel his strength returning he detached from the body, wiping his lips with his sleeve before crawling over to his weak brother.

"You need to drink some deputy blood."

The look of betrayal on Elena's face is immediate as she narrowed her eyes at the vampire. Damon pretended not to notice, knowing she was only worried about her boyfriend turning into a blood-crazed vampire again, though reliving that isn't high on his priority list - they almost died and Stefan couldn't fight off the vervain enough to wake up and help his brother.

"No." Stefan groaned. "I'm gonna be fine. It's just gonna take a little bit longer."

"Damon's right you know." Caroline chimed in with an extremely unexpected comment. "If there's ever time to break your diet..." She trailed off when Elena shot her the same look she was giving Damon.

"He said he didn't want it, okay?" Elena snapped, her voice hard.

Damon sighed before he rose to his feet. "This is a most unfortunate situation. Two deputies dead and you." He turned towards Liz. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"Nothing." Louise announced, getting to her feet. "You're not going to do nothing to her."

Caroline looked towards her mother. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" She waited a few moments for reassurance from her mother who can't bear to look at her. "Mum? Mum? Please. Look, I know that we don't get along and that you hate me but I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right?" Liz remained silent. "Mum, please. He will_ kill_ you."

Liz looked up at Damon with tears in her eyes. "Then kill me."

"No!" Caroline protested.

"I can't take this. Kill me now." Liz begged, trying to be brave though her voice shook.

Damon bent down so he was eye level with the human. Louise, Elena, Stefan and Caroline watched in anticipation as Damon whispered. "But you were gonna drag it out so painfully." He sneered, hesitating for a second before grabbing her and forcing her to her feet.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Caroline screeched. She was still rooted in her spot and made no move to attack Damon.

"Damon, don't!" Stefan shouted

"Damon, please!" Elena cried.

"Damon." Louise said. It was only his name but that alone held so much emotion as she begged him to spare her Liz's life.

Several moments tickled by before Damon turned to glance at the others. "Relax guys. No one is killing anybody." He then turned back to face Liz. "You're my friend." His attention is now on the dead deputies. "We've got to clean this up."

* * *

"You were lying earlier today, weren't you?" Louise questioned, arms folded across her chest. She stood in front of Stefan and Elena in the boarding house living room. Stefan stiffen as he realised they've been caught out. "You two _aren't_ fighting - it was just pretend."

Unable to lie, Stefan nodded. "Yeah."

Elena exchanged a look with Stefan before she added. "We did it to protect me from Katherine - to protect everyone from Katherine...and Vivienne ideally."

Louise pursed her lips and nodded slowly but before she could add anything there was knock at the door. She walked up to the large oak door and pulled it open to see Caroline. The blonde had to go and get some clothes for her mother. Despite Damon's anger at the betrayal of his friend, he surprised everyone by agreeing to keep the Sherriff in the basement until the vervain left her system and he could compel her to forget everything she saw this afternoon.

"Hey, sorry that took forever." Caroline apologised as she stepped through the threshold with a suitcase in her hand. Louise held the door open for her. "I just didn't know how long my mom was gonna be here."

"Damon says it'll take three days tops for the vervain to leave her system." Louise told her, eyeing the huge luggage._ Definitely over packed_, she thought. "Maybe even sooner."

"Hey," Caroline greeted Stefan, earning the same response from him. The four began to walk down the basement where Liz was being held. "Get some bunny in you?"

Stefan chuckled before he responded. "Yeah, I'm feeling much better."

Louise followed closely behind Caroline down to the basement but almost bumped into her when the vampire came to a sudden halt upon hearing her mother say; "Can you keep Caroline far away from me please? I don't wanna see her."

Damon eyed Caroline at the threshold and defended her. "She's your daughter, Liz."

"Not anymore." Liz disagreed. "My daughter's gone."

Louise's heart dropped. She knew that Caroline's relationship with her mother was rocky ever since the divorce but knew it had to kill her to hear those words come from the woman who birthed her. She put her hand on Caroline's shoulder, wanting to comfort her but unsure of how.

"You have no idea how wrong you are about that."

The hurt Caroline immediately stormed off. Louise and Damon's eyes met briefly before she swirled around and ran up the stairs after her blonde friend. When she found Caroline, the vampire was sat on the sofa in the living room staring blankly in front of her. A sigh escaped Louise's mouth before she moved toward the sofa and sat down beside Caroline, arm immediately wrapping around her shoulders. Caroline flinched and the brunette quickly removed her hand. She knew the blonde need comfort so she just sat quietly for the moment.

The silence in the living room continued before it disappeared when the eldest Gilbert came storming in. Anger was written over Elena's face but was quickly washed off when she spotted her twin and her friend. She cleared her throat before moving towards the pair. "Hey," She spoke softly. "Can I take you home?"

Caroline shook her head. "I can't go home."

"Why not?" Elena asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Caroline bit her bottom lip before she mumbled. "Because I'm scared."

"Care, if you don't want to be alone...I can go with you." Louise assured her, grabbing her hand softly.

"It's not just that." Caroline stated, her eyes switching between the two Gilberts. "Katherine and Vivienne are gonna be there and they're gonna want me to tell them everything that happened today. They told me I had to spy on you and report back to them."

"Of course, they did." Louise muttered angrily under her breath.

"I know," Elena confessed softly as she moved to sit on the coffee table in front of the sofa. "And I've been so mad at you. But then, I tried to put myself in your position so that I could understand why you would do this to me and to Stefan because he's been such a friend to you."

"Who did she threaten?" Louise questioned.

Caroline's eyes widened in shock. "H-How did you know?"

"Both Katherine and Vivienne are psychos and they won't stop till they get what they want."

"Matt," The vampire sobbed. "She threatened Matt and I'm so scared of them! I am so scared."

"And you should be." Elena agreed and Caroline tried to calm her sobs. Elena swallowed, catching her sister's gaze before she added. "In fact, we all should be."

"Why are they doing this? What do they want?"

"That's the million dollar dollar question." Louise mumbled as she grabbed the blonde's hand in her own, giving it a light squeeze.

The newly turned vampire had fallen asleep shortly after and Elena had gone to sort things out with Stefan. Louise gently extracted herself from Caroline and laid a pillow underneath the blonde's head before tucking a blanking around her. She pulled her shoes off before she slowly and quietly backed away from her friend. When she spun around she bumped right into Damon.

The brunette winched slightly, taking a step back. "Caroline's sleeping. I think she'll be staying here tonight."

"I heard." Damon muttered, tapping his ear. "And you?"

"I'm going home." Louise announced and began to walk towards the door but stopped in her tracks. She turned to face the vampire. "What you did for Caroline's mum - that's the Damon who was my friend."

For a while he was silent. When he finally opened his mouth to speak, all he said was. "Night, Louise.

"Night, Salvatore."

* * *

In the neck of the woods, Vivienne's dark chocolate brown eyes flickered towards the passenger seat as Mason Lockwood hopped inside of the car. "I've been waiting." she announced, her features unreadable. The werewolf leaned over to plant a kiss on her lips but Vivienne held a hand up, halting his action. "What was that stunt today that you pulled with Damon and Stefan Salvatore?"

Mason blinked at her in slight surprise and confusion. "I thought you would be happy about that."

"I told you to stay away from them. _Especially_, Damon." Vivienne reminded him, her temper flaring.

"Why do you even care?" he questioned with a raised brow.

"I don't." Vivienne lied immediately but it wasn't a lie that went unnoticed. "I don't want you to get distracted. I need you to find the moonstone." At that statement, a huge grin crept on the werewolf's face and this time it was Vivienne's turn to be confused. "You got it?"

Mason nodded in confirmation, still smiling. "I got it."

Vivienne smirked coyly as Mason leaned over to press his lips against hers. This time she didn't stop him, instead she returned his kiss. She kissed him back with abandon. Their kiss was a lie, a twisted mess of hopeless desire on his part and gleeful triumph on hers.

* * *

**A/N**

**Apologies for not updating in such a long time but here's another chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it. Thoughts?**


	6. Plan B

**Plan B**

* * *

Mason Lockwood rolled over on top of a giggling Vivienne Pierce before trailing kisses down her chest all the way to her black lacy bra. He then continued on his path of trailing kisses down to her bare stomach, triggering another round of giggles from the brunette.

"Shhh." The werewolf halted his kisses on her stomach to peer up at her. Vivienne raised a single finger to her plump lips in an attempt to quiten him down. "Ms. Flowers will think I'm a _floozy_ if I have a man in here." That was the least of their worries. Mrs Flowers had already questioned Vivienne and Katherine's identical appearances to the Gilbert twins and it had taken a huge amount of compelling from the vampire's side to get the old lady to stop her questioning.

He abandoned his path of kisses to hover above her with a pout. "Why are you staying here?"

Vivienne gave him a sly smile before answering. "Because I like this little bed and breakfast, don't you?"

A huge grin spread across his face. "I love it."

Mason swooped down and captured the vampire's lips into a kiss for the umpteenth time that morning. Their kisses were hungry as they fought for control. Vivienne had enough of Mason's show of dominance and with a mischievous smile between kisses, she flipped them over so she was on top. She then embarked on trailing sloppy kisses down his chest as she straddled him. Mason released a low moan and tangled his fingers in her chestnut curls as she kissed her way back up to his waiting lips.

"Where is the moonstone?" Vivienne questioned between kisses.

"Somewhere safe."

She halted the her kisses to shoot him a pout. "Don't you trust me?"

"I don't trust anyone." Mason replied simply.

"You scared I'm gonna kill you?" Vivienne teased.

The werewolf shook his head, a self assured smile on his face. "No, you won't."

Vivienne's dark eyes flashed at the challenge and took it upon herself to prove him wrong even if he didn't realise it. Leaning down, she placed soft kisses on his lips before forcing his chin up with considerable strength to expose his neck. More importantly, expose the very prominent blue vein. She brushed her lips against his neck, wanting him to loose himself in the moment so he wouldn't see what's coming next. Her fangs slipped through her gums and pierced his skin. As soon as she struck him, she recoiled - almost as if it didn't happen.

Mason jumped at the sudden piercing pain in his neck, a hand clamping down on the source. "Ow! Viv, easy!"

She recoiled - almost as if it didn't happen. Batting her long lashes at him, innocently. "Did I hurt you?" She began to lick the blood from his neck. "Sorry."

"What happens once I give you the moonstone?" Mason questioned suspiciously.

Vivienne pulled away from his neck, flashing him a smile. "We'll live happily ever after. I promise."

"I'll bring it tonight, I promise."

"You know I love you." The vampire lied to him convincingly ash she ran a hand over his scratchy stubble of a beard.

Mason's eyes sparkled at her words. "I love you too."

* * *

The loud morning alarm buzzed throughout Louise's room and the brunette groaned, slamming her hand down on the device to stop the annoying blaring sound. She removed the sheets from her torso, swung her legs out of bed and left the warm cozy bed. Louise trudged barefoot to the bathroom to do her usual morning routine. She spent the bigger part of her time in a long hot shower with hope that the hot water would help get rid of the exhaustion the filled every fibre of her body.

Louise exited the bathroom with a towel tightly wrapped around her body, only to bump right into her little brother. "Woah - hey, uh, where you off to?" Louise questioned noticing her younger brother clutching onto the strap of a bag.

"Uh...I'm meeting some friends at the grill." Jeremy lied. Louise titled her head to the side, narrowing her eyes as she studied him. He looked edgy.

"You're not lying to me, are you?" The brunette questioned suspiciously and Jeremy chuckled nervously.

"Now why would I do that?" he asked. "Gotta run." There was no more time to question the young Gilbert boy because he was already half way down the stairs. Louise frowned, shaking her head.

She made her way back to her room but halted when she heard muffed sounds coming from Elena's room. She listened more intently and her hand flew over her mouth in a gasp when she realised what noises she was actually hearing. The brunette shuttered, shaking her head before quickly rushing into her room and locking the door behind her.

Louise pulled opened her dresser drawer and pulled out a purple lace bra with matching underwear. She flung her towel carelessly onto her bed as she proceeded to put on her underwear. Next, she rummaged through her closet until she opted to wear, gradient striped henley top, dark jeans and her converse. The brunette stood in front of her large vanity mirror as she ran a brush to her seamlessly straight locs. Her vervain necklace was tied securely around her neck.

After giving herself a onceover, Louise excited her room and hurried downstairs and made her way straight to the kitchen. There was no sign of any of her family. Louise hummed quietly to herself as focused on making a pot of coffee. She let it brew, looking out onto the front lawn as the smell of morning was in the air.

"Good morning." Jenna's quiet voice broke Louise out of her reverie and she spun around to face her aunt.

"Morning." she replied. Her aunt raised one eyebrow, curious as to the reason for her chipper mood. Louise moved to the fridge and reached into it to grab the milk carton.

"You coming to help out a the Lockwoods?" Jenna asked.

"Yeah." Louise responded. The coffee beeped as it was done brewing and the brunette moved to the cabinet to grab to mugs before pouring a cup of coffee for both her and her aunt. "How did Carol rope you in?"

"She asked and I said yes," Jenna took the mug Louise offered. Seeing the look on her nieces face, she knew that she didn't buy her any of what she just said and Jenna sighed. "Okay, she made me feel guilty so, yeah, I caved."

"Glad to know how strong willed you are."

"Oh shush you!" The older woman swatted at her and Louise chucked. "Is Elena coming with us?"

"I think she'll meet us there, she's a little...preoccupied at the moment." Louise smiled into her cup as she took a sip.

* * *

"Morning." Vivienne said cheerfully as she walked out her bedroom now dressed in a bebe V neck lace top with black skinny jeans, and into the connecting room of her and Katherine's suite. She went and sat at the table with her sister.

"Good morning." Katherine responded as she took a sip of tea. Vivienne grinned causing Katherine to raise a perfectly shaped brow. "What's with that look? Wait-" She cut herself with a gasp and a delivious smirk. "Does that look mean you got the moonstone?"

The task of retrieving the moonstone - it all started when the sister had looked up the Lockwood family tree and located Mason Lockwood in Florida. After a little game of heads or tails between the two girls, Vivienne was chosen to ingrain herself into the werewolf's life.

Of all the men who had entered and left her life, Mason was by far the strangest of the all. He had fallen for her too easily and was actually thankful when she told him she was a vampire. Vivienne told him she loves him and there was a way to break the curse placed on him. He believed her with no hesitation and was on board - all he had to do was collect the moonstone. The very same stone she had stolen from Klaus hundreds of years before, knowing it had been passed down in the Lockwood family after it was handed over to George in 1864.

Now here they all are, in Mystic Falls trying to find said moonstone.

"Nope." Vivienne said.

Katherine let out a frustrated sigh, her eyes narrowed at her sister as she shook her head side to side. "I knew, I should have been the one to do this."

Vivienne resisted the urge to roll her eyes, instead she scoffed. "Relax, Kat." She shot her sister a smile. "We're getting the moonstone - Mason promised."

"He better _not_ screw this up."

* * *

"It looks like Mrs Lockwood has roped the whole town into helping out." Louise announced as her and her aunt pulled up at the Lockwood mansion.

"Wouldn't surprise me if she went around town to hunt people down." Jenna half joked as shut the car off before climbing out the vehicle. Louise chuckled, shaking her head and follow suited. The two then walked up to the manor to see it buzzing with activity and soon enough the were greeted by Carol Lockwood.

"Jenna, Louise, so glad you two could make it." Carol grinned. "Louise, I was hoping you would decorate the tables. Find James and he'll get you started."

"Right. I'll get on it." Louise nodded with a smile before walking away, leaving the two ladies to chat. She stepped out in the warm, cool breeze. "James" She yelled spotting the blonde teen and he turned, looking relieved to see her. She jogged over to him. "Are those the decorations for the tables?"

"Yep. Mrs Lockwood said to give to you." James handed over the box and with that he disappeared.

The brunette sighed before moving towards the centre of the round tables. She spotted several more boxes scattered on the grass. Louise opened them up to see various items; from table clothes to place mats. Grabbing a pocket knife, she started on opening the packaging of the table clothes before laying them out on the table.

Louise turned when she felt someone coming up besides her. "'Lena. Finally! I thought you'd never show up." she muttered, starting to unpack the candles and placing them in the holders.

Elena nodded. "I said I'd show up and here I am."

"Hmm, I had my doubts." Louise started to unpack the candles and placing them in the holders. "Didn't think you'd manage to tear yourself away from Stefan." she drawled and Elena's brown orbs widened.

"What?!" The eldest Gilbert questioned a little taking back. "Stefan and I-"

"Were making out or whatever." Louise cut in. "Honestly you'd have to be deaf to not hear you two goin-" Elena gasped and she was quick as she slammed her palm over her sister's mouth. Louise cocked an eyebrow and Elena raised her index finger to her lips gesturing for her to be quite then tapped her ear.

Louise nodded, swatting Elena's hand away. "Oh right, sorry." she muttered. "Since you're _finally_ here, you mind actually helping."

The two brunettes spent the next fifteen minutes working in silence laying down table cloths and candle holders. It wasn't until Louise let out a gasp to break the silence that Elena looked up to see Bonnie walking towards them carrying a box. The witch approached the two grinning girls, setting the box on the nearby table.

"Bonnie Bennett!" Louise exclaimed. "You're here."

"I'm here." Bonnie couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. Elena couldn't help but notice Bonnie's eyes nervously darting around the yard. She let out a sigh as she realised what she was doing.

"Caroline's not coming. I told you." Elena reminded her.

Bonnie looked between the twins for a brief moment before muttering as she fiddled with the box. "Just making sure."

Elena gave her a sympathetic look before she suggest. You know, eventually, you're gonna have to talk to her.

"Could you make it a little less obvious you're on her side?" Bonnie questioned defensively, trying to mask her hurt.

"There are no sides, Bonnie." "Since when were there sides?" Elena and Louise spoke at the same time, their words overlapping.

Bonnie let out a deep and frustrated sigh, looking between Louise and Elena. "Since Caroline became a vampire, I barely see you guys anymore." Her voice softened. "Losing Caroline was bad enough; I didn't think I'd lose you two."

Louise turned and met the eldest Gilbert's gaze, giving her a 'can we tell her' look.

"Come with us." Elena extended her hand out for the witch to take.

Bonnie furrowed her brows. "Where?"

"Not here. Some place quiet. We have to talk."

* * *

The trio strolled across the massive Lockwood land as they explained to the Bennett witch what had been happening recently. Katherine had been threatening to kill everyone if Elena and Stefan did not break up which was the reason the couple were pretending to fight. Elena was anxious to talk about this subject in case her vampire ancestor showed up and overheard them. Louise, Bonnie and Elena found a bench to sit down.

"I can't believe this." Bonnie stated as she tried to wrap her head around the new information she just received.

Louise nodded. "It's a lot, I know."

"Katherine's doing everything that she can to drive me and Stefan apart and Caroline just got trapped in the middle." Elena explained.

"It's not that you and Stefan are pretending to fight. It's that-" Bonnie paused, she shook her head. Hurt seeped into her voice as she spoke. "I didn't even know you guys were fighting at _all_."

Elena's heart plunged to her stomach. She felt awful not being able to tell Bonnie everything. "I'm sorry, I don't want to keep things from you but you've made it pretty clear where you stand with the whole vampire thing."

"So that makes me the odd man out." The witch said defensively.

With a quick shake of her head, Elena said. "No - no, Bonnie, of course not."

Everyone fell silent for a moment before Louise sighed and spoke up. "Look, I know all this craziness is getting in the way of you talking to Caroline but, she needs you too." She gave the witch a pleading look. "You can't hate her forever."

"I don't _hate_ her." Verity does spill from her mouth. Bonnie paused for a moment. "I hate what she is."

Identical, building doe eyes stared at the witch sandwiched between them, both shocked by unexpected meaning behind such a familiar voice. The seer never expected such hateful reaction escaping her best friend's mouth, not when it came to Caroline. Their best friend, a girl they've known since the first grade.

"Bonnie, this is Caroline we're talking about." Louise repeated the words the witch had used in the hospital. "She's still the same person, she's still our best friend. You've accepted Stefan - sort of. Caroline is no different. She didn't ask to become a vampire, it just happened. We can't do this to her...Come on, Bon, this isn't us."

She's ready to cut herself into pieces in order to bring the two hearts of her best friends closer again. Because of all the people, Caroline doesn't deserve to lose Bonnie, not now, when perhaps she needs her the most.

The witch thought for a moment. She looked conflicted. "I'm just not ready yet. I just...she's a vampire, I can't. I think we should get back." Bonnie stood from her seat. "I think we should go back."

The eldest Gilbert let out a sigh and remained seated on the bench while Louise hurried after Bonnie who went in the direction of where they had abandoned the boxes of candles. It happened so fast, Mason Lockwood's hard body colliding with the two girls and an image flashed through the mind but they both received it differently. Bonnie got a clear vision of Vivienne and Mason rolling around in bed however, to Louise it was more of a glitch.

Bonnie gasped. "Oh my god, did you see that?"

"Sort of." Louise muttered as they both watched Mason walk away. The seer was determined though as she ran after the werewolf. "Mason, hey, uh - I -" Louise stumbled for words as she reached out to gain contact with Mason.

All she envisioned was blackness. Louise inhaled a long breath of air and released it as she tried to focus on new discoveries of Mason and Vivienne's relation. As she regained clarity, all she saw as black. She kept quiet as she tried to focus and recall the vision hoping to trigger more but nothing was coming. Frustration grew steadily.

Then like a firecracker bursting, she felt it. Vivienne's face was flittering in her mind. It came and went so fast that she couldn't quite get a good grasp on it. It only stayed long enough for her to get a glimpse. Suddenly, an inky blackness began to creep into her periphery as she felt her knees grow weak and soon she snapped back, away from him.

The young seer staggered a moment, her energy seemed drained after a simple calling of a vision. Louise's brown hues looked down at her hands seeing them shake. No, this was wrong, something was wrong with her.

"Woah...you're nose is bleeding."

Mason's words caused Louise sniff, feeling the heavy clogging moisture in her nose and realising all at once that she was breathing through her mouth. In the next instant, she became aware of the dampness on her upper lip and lifted her hands to investigate the red liquid. Quickly, she used the back of her arm to wipe it away.

The seer attempted to keep herself calm, but wasn't sure she could. "This doesn't make any sense." Louise muttered.

"Louise?" Bonnie said her name with question. "Are you okay?" It was only now that Louise noticed that Bonnie had a hold of her.

"I-I don't know. I got a v-" Louise cut herself off when she suddenly became aware of Mason still standing there looking slightly worried. Both Bonnie and Louise flashed him smile, turning to look at each other briefly then back at the older man. "I'm fine. It's just a nose bleed. Happens all the time - you know - the heat and all of that."

"Need to stay hydrated." Bonnie added. "Water? We should get you some water." She slowly ushered her brunette friend away and took a look back a Mason.

Stefan found Bonnie and Louise sat down a few minutes later. The witch watched worriedly as Louise gulped down the glass of water she had retrieved for her. "What's the matter? Are you okay?" Stefan questioned panic rising to the surface.

"I...think so." Louise rubbed the sides of her temple. Her head ached; her whole body ached but it didn't matter. Her mind was still reeling from what happened a few moments ago. The brunette looked over at Bonnie, gesturing for her to explain.

"When I touched Mason, I saw something." Bonnie said.

"What do you mean? Like a vision?"

"I saw Mason and Louise kissing."

"Vivienne." Louise corrected.

Stefan's brows furrowed. "Wait? You saw it to?"

"It was different." Louise tried to explain as best as she could. "It was as if I was blocked. It was fuzzy and when I tried to push through...it kind of hurt which resulted in a nose bleed."

"That's odd. Has this every happened before?"

The brunette shook her head. "No."

* * *

It wasn't long till Damon had pulled Bonnie to side to ask her for a favour. Bonnie was conflicted but in the end she agreed to help because of Damon's logical points.

So now, as planned, Bonnie and Louise were outside the Lockwood property pretending to struggle with a table. They knew deep down Mason wasn't an innocent bystander. He almost got both Salvatore brothers killed, manhandled Elena, and threatened Caroline. Soon Louise noticed Mason exiting the Lockwood home from the corner of her eye.

"Hey, how'd you get stuck doing that by yourself?" They heard Mason ask and they both tried to appear innocent while slightly turning to face him, still pretending to struggle with the table in their hands.

"All the guys bailed..." Louise told him and Bonnie nodded.

"Something about draft picks, I really don't know - I don't speak that language" Bonnie managed to add with actual humour lacing her voice and fake relief washing over her features as Mason took over.

Bonnie took a deep breath as knots twisted deep inside her stomach, she concentrated on the aneurysms she directed towards Mason over and over again. It was hard watching him crumble to the floor and see his smile turn into a grimace as pain consumed him whole. Deep regret filled her knowing the hurt and anguish she was causing him as she watched the werewolf clutch the sides of his head as if he could stop the pain.

"Sorry" Was all she could say, knowing it did nothing to help the situation, but still said it anyway as she saw Damon come around to knock Mason in the face with his knee. Damon then hopped over the unconscious werewolf's body to open the passenger door for Louise and Bonnie to get in and Stefan was kneeling down ready to lift and haul the body into the back of the truck.

Louise was the first to hop into the jeep and for a split second Bonnie didn't move, taking in her predicament. The witch had swore up and down that she wouldn't get involved and now here she was roughing it with werewolves and vampires. She saw Damon's impatience as he nodded for the to get in the truck. Bonnie let out a tired sigh as she walked passed Stefan to get in with a numb feeling spreading throughout her body.

As Bonnie clambered in the truck next to Louise, she didn't just pray for forgiveness but hoped she was doing the right thing and that her part in this wouldn't come bite her in the ass. The two girls felt the vibration of the truck's door being closed shut and within a second Damon was behind the wheel speeding off the Lockwood property.

Louise noticed, Bonnie couldn't keep her right leg from moving with the nervous energy she felt building inside her and she wasn't the only one to notice.

"Calm down. Your hands are still clean, witch." Damon spoke breaking the silence in the car. Louise took her friend's hand in an attempt to calm her.

"You know as well as I do that whatever happens to him is just as much my fault as it is yours and Stefan's." Bonnie replied stonily. "And as much as I hate my part in this...I know that we can't risk Mason walking around free and happily plotting away with Vivienne or even Katherine for all we know.

"Then, why are you spoiling all the fun with that frown of yours?"

"Damon," Louise spoke up, sending a warning look towards the vampire beside her who merely shrugged.

"I'm sorry that I don't take pleasure in other people's pain, Damon. I am _so_ sorry that I can't be a heartless sadistic person like you." Bonnie sarcastically responded.

"Hey, what's with the name calling? I'm just making friendly conversation, Bonnie." Damon said in the most condescending tone and both Louise and Bonnie wanted to smack him which Louise did. Damon furrowed his eyebrows at her, mockingly rubbing his arm.

"If you don't want your brain to burst into flames as you descriptively put it earlier, I suggest you skip the friendly conversation and just shut up and drive." Bonnie said as she took a deep breath trying not the let Damon get under her skin too much.

Bonnie turned to face the window but still managed to catch the eye roll Damon gave her. Louise eyes flicked between the witch and the vampire before her chest lifted and she let out a heavy sigh. _This is gonna be a long drive_, she thought. Before Louise could fully immerse herself to the passing scenery, she caught a muffled sound coming from the back and immediately turned to Damon.

"You heard that right?" The seer questioned. She almost smacked her self for asking a silly question. If she heard it then Damon, the vampire with heightened hearing, definitely heard it.

"Yes, but don't worry, he's not waking any time soon...at least not before we got him where I want him." Damon replied calmly as if they were discussing the weather.

Louise glanced over her shoulder towards the trunk, listening out for more sound but none came. She sighed, leaning back on her seat. It was quite for a moment before Bonnie blurted out.

"Is this really the only way, Damon?" she questioned.

"I'm just going to have a chat with the guy, Bonnie." Damon replied innocently but still there was the undeniable amusement lacing his voice.

"Don't insult my intelligence by giving me that stupid line. I know what you're capable of, Damon, from first hand experience." Bonnie said. Louise swallowed as she noticed the witch raise her hand to rub where she had once been bitten by Damon. Bonnie slid her hand down her thighs and added. "I'm not staying for whatever you're gonna do to him. Once he's inside then I'm out."

"Fine by me, witch." Damon said as he pulled up at the Salvatore boarding house and parked the car. He looked towards Bonnie. "You know I wouldn't have asked for your help-"

Bonnie scoffed, cutting him off. "More like demanded."

"Okay, yes, I did demand, but the choice was yours to make in the end." Damon said in all seriousness. He took the keys out the car to climb out, looking back to see Bonnie and Louise doing the same. "Right, Bonnie, you grab the bag while I get the wolf." He ordered as genuine delight marred his features and Louise shook her head.

Louise waited for Bonnie to grab Mason's bag before the duo followed after Damon to the library.

"Here's his bag, as requested" Bonnie mockingly said as she popped down the bag on the ground.

Damon didn't answer but he did set Mason down in a chair facing the fireplace. "Here," He indicated with a nod of his head at the brown sheet on the floor. "Grab that corner."

"Why are we doing this?" Bonnie asked while bending down to spread the sheet out.

"Because I don't want to stain the carpet." Damon joyously responded with his trademark smirk in check.

"I knew you were going to say something like that" Bonnie responded heatedly as she stood up following Damon's actions to unfold the other end of the brown sheet.

"You're judging again." The vampire said and Bonnie just rolled her eyes. "Whoa! It looks like this guy is use to being tied up." Damon murmured as he grabbed the chains out of the bag Bonnie hand brought in and smiled as he pulled out the chains. He looked up to see Bonnie and Louise standing in front of Mason. Louise's eyes closed and her hands were on either side of the werewolf's head. In an instant, Damon was at her side, grabbing her wrist which broke her concentration. "What are you doing?"

Louise's eyes flicked down at his touch, feeling her heart speed up in pace as though the physical contact alone triggered such a response within. She swallowed as she glanced back up to meet the vampire's eyes. After a brief moment of silence she finally spoke. "I'm trying to help you find the moonstone and the best way is to get in his head."

"Last time you tried to get a vision from him, you ended up with a nose bleed."

"Lou, he's right." Bonnie reluctantly agreed. "Maybe, I should do it."

"I can handle it." The seer almost growled. "I know what I'm looking for. So, uh, do you mind letting go of my arm?"

There was a very long pause, Bonnie's eyes flickered between the two seeing who was going to give in first. Sure enough, it was Damon.

"Can you figure out if he gave it to Vivienne and find out where her and her sister are and what they are going to do with once they get it."

"Anything else you might want to know? What conditioner he uses perhaps?" Louise replied sarcastically and Bonnie snickered beside her which earned a glare from Damon.

Louise sighed, rubbing her hand together before placing them back on the sides of Mason's head and started to instantly feel around his head. It became easier if she thought of it as floating from her body to his, but still she left a piece of herself behind, a tether. She felt for the boundary of his mind. She was a bit uneasy, doing this. Was this dangerous for her? His thoughts moved rapidly, one after another, while hers were fluid, blending.

"It' somewhere small," Louise began, trying to explain what she saw. "Dark...there's water."

"Like a sewer?" Damon questioned.

"No," Louise shook her head.

"A well then?" Bonnie suggested.

"Maybe…wait, that can't be right." Louise's grip on Mason's head tightened as she focused more. "Yeah…a well" The seer breathlessly managed, feeling the cold of the water surrounding her.

"Why would it be in a well" Damon asked, looking over at Bonnie who just shrugged her shoulders.

The brunette lowered her hands from Mason's head, coming out of his mind as the feeling of being submerged in water subsided. She opened her mouth to speak but the sudden grip on her wrist startled her. She looked down at Mason, as a muffled sound came from his limp form. Damon quickly applied pressure to Mason's wrist and pulled Louise aside at the same time, separating the contact between them.

"Okay, that's me done." Bonne spoke up in a rush wanting to get out of there as fast as she could. Mason was about to wake up any minute and she couldn't stay and see what she helped happen. The witch bounded up the stairs but halted at Damon's voice.

"Hey, judgey! " Bonnie turned to face him."Thank you"

Louise's head snapped towards Damon at his genuine gratitude and the Bennett witch, straightened at hearing those words escape Damon's mouth. The last two likely words she thought Damon would utter again to her- she did after all set him on fire not too long ago. Bonnie offered him a curt nod.

"Hey, Bon, I'll meet you outside yeah?" Louise called to her friend and Bonnie gave another nod before she spun and sped out there as quickly as possible. The brunette turned to Damon who now stood in front of Mason. "What are you planning on doing to him?"

"You're not gonna like it - so I won't tell you." Damon responded, not taking his gaze of the werewolf in front of him and Louise narrowed her eyes. "Come on. Wake up, wolf boy." Damon coaxed before punching Mason with as much strength as he could muster. Louise gasped staring wide eyed at him and he finally looked up at her. "You staying for the show, or?"

With those words, Damon smiled briefly at her speechlessness. Closing her eyes, Louise spun around a excited the library quickly without another word. Lingering questions would have to be answered another day. As she walked to the front door, she spotted Bonnie and Caroline, actually exchanging words.

"Did you find the moonstone thing?" The blonde asked.

Bonnie shook her head as Louise came to stand next to her. "Not yet."

"Hey, do you remember that old well in the woods where we used to play when we were kids?" Louise asked and Caroline nodded. "Do you remember where it was?"

"On the edge of the old Lockwood property." Caroline replied with furrowed eyebrows. "Why?"

Louise pulled out her phone to text Stefan the location of the moonstone. "I think that's where Mason is keeping the moonstone. We got to go."

"Well, I can come with you." Caroline suggest.

Louise opened her mouth to answer but Bonnie beat her to it by blurting out. "No, it's okay." Seeing the look that was now plastered on the Gilbert girl's face and the look of hurt and disappointment on Caroline's, Bonnie retracted he previous statement. "Sure."

Caroline smiled. "Okay."

Once Louise, Bonnie and Caroline located the well, they found Elena screaming hysterically over the well, unable to do anything but watch Stefan drown in vervain. Caroline moved quick, grabbing the chain which was too heavy for any human and threaded it so Elena could go down the well. Elena is lowered into the whole of the well by Caroline and once she down there finds an unconscious Stefan. She wasted no time in unhooking the chain from around herself to put around her boyfriend.

Following Elena's orders, Caroline tugged on the chain to reel Stefan up and he appeared covered in his own blood. Cuts and wounds covered every inch of his body as if acid was poured all over him. Together, Louise and Bonnie untied Stefan and carefully placed him on the ground. Still down in the well, Elena flipped the flashlight on to search for the moonstone in the vervain-filled water. She soon found a wooden box and quickly grabbing it before rehooking herself back onto the chain and is pulled out of the well.

Elena discarded the box that hopefully holds the moonstone and ran to Stefan's side. He still wasn't moving and his wounds had barely healed. Without thinking, she grabbed a rock nearby and sliced her palm open so he could drink and regain his strength. It only took a few seconds for his injuries to start to heal but his eyes remained closed. She brushed his hair back, silently begging him to open his eyes and when he finally does, relief is washed over everyone.

* * *

Torturing Mason Lockwood was a blast, in Damon's opinion. His screams were like music to his ears. He almost felt bad for killing him. Almost. But in his own twisted way, he believed he had done the werewolf a favour. Not only did he save him from a life of turning - which based on the dead look in Mason's eyes when he talked about it, is not very pleasant. Also he saved him from the realisation that Vivienne never loved him.

Damon unchained, Mason's lifeless and heartless body from the chair and lay him on the blanket Bonnie helped him lay earlier to save the carpet. He grunted as he wrapped the last piece of tarp around the body. The front door opened and closed, Damon looked up to see his brother walking in holding a big, cloudy, oval rock.

"All this for that?"

"Yep." Stefan agreed. He tossed the moonstone to Damon who looked it over. It didn't look like anything special to him but he stuck it in his back pocket anyway. He has it and the Pierce sisters wanted it which was all that mattered. Stefan looked down at Mason's body. "I see you've exercised your usual restraint." he said sarcastically and Damon threw his hands up.

"Had to be done." Damon admitted. He grabbed Mason's wallet, keys and phone and started scrolling through the contacts till he found Carol Lockwood. " Carol, big opportunity in Florida, I'm gonna be gone for a _long_ time. Will send for my things once I get settled. Much love, Mason" With a quick press of the button, the message was sent and the youngest Salvatore let out a sigh.

"Let's get rid of the body." Stefan instructed.

"Oh, last number dialed." Damon looked up at Stefan with a mischievous glee in his eyes. "I wonder who that could _possibly_ be?" He redialled the last number called, completely overlooking the consequences of his actions.

"No, no, no! Don't provoke her-" Stefan was cut off by Vivienne's voice echoing through the room.

"_Mason, you should have been here an hour ago._"

"Wrong boy toy." Damon taunted as he pushed Stefan away from grabbing the phone. Stefan slapped his hand and walked away in frustration.

Vivienne tensed on the other end, a little surprised by the voice but she quickly pulled herself together. "_Damon. For once you've surprised me. I assume Mason is with you?_"

"He's right beside me!" Damon responded smugly. "Although, his heart's across the room."

There was a brief moment of silence from the other end. "_You shouldn't have._"

"I've had a very busy day today. I killed a werewolf, found a moonstone. Hey, did you know that he hid the moonstone in the bottom of a well full of vervain? I guess he didn't trust you very much." Damon was revelling the fact he had rendered Vivienne Pierce speechless. "Although, he did love you. Poor guy. Hey, where are you? Because, you know, I could bring him over. Last goodbyes and all that."

"_You have no idea what you've just done._" Vivienne hissed through gritted teeth.

"Aww, did I put a kink in your master plan?" Damon mocked, ignoring Stefan's glaring. "I'm so sorry."

Vivienne's unnerving laughed echoed out the phone followed by her menacing reply. "_Do you honestly believe that I don't have a plan B? And if that fails, a plan C, then a plan D, and...you know how the alphabet works, don't you?_" she taunted. "_Send my love to Louise, or maybe I will._"

With that sinister goodbye, Vivienne hung up. Damon grimaced and he looked over to his brother, who's expression portrayed nothing but horror.

* * *

Louise headed down the stairs of the Gilbert resistance. Alaric and Jenna had been cooking all evening and she hoped that eating dinner all evening would quell the nausea that had been a constant visitor in her stomach today. Laughter echoed from the kitchen just as a whiff of food hit her and she followed it into the kitchen.

"Where is Jeremy?" Louise asked once she entered the kitchen to, Elena, Jenna and Alaric.

"He went straight up to his room. He said he wasn't hungry." Elena responded.

Louise grabbed some plates to beginning to set the table. She looked over at Jenna who was on the phone, talking out of earshot. The conversation looked deep and intense. "Who is she talking to?"

Alaric merely just shrugged. "I don't know."

"Of course, I understand." Jenna said into the phone before walking towards Elena with it held out for her. "Elena, it's for you."

"Who is it?" Elena asked, frowning trading looks with Louise. Jenna shrugged, not saying anything as she returned to her spot, leaving Elena to press the phone to her ear and speaking into the receiver. "Hello?"

"_Hello, Elena._"

Elena froze when she heard her own voice on the other end on the line with rasp and hateful inflection. Katherine. Elena looked at Louise alarmed who gave her a questioning look but the older brunette turned away, walking out the room as she needed to focus on what was happening.

"Katherine."

"_Did you enjoy your little rendezvous with Stefan this morning?_" Elena fell silent but her mouth opened to protest when Katherine continued to speak. "_I will always know, Elena. My sister and I will always be one step ahead of you. When are you gonna figure that out? Do you know how easy it was to get inside of your house? To replace Aunt Jenna's vervain perfume, to convince her to stop drinking her special tea?_"

Elena met Louise's gaze, trying to hide her alarm. Katherine had been in their house. Louise silently asked who it was but Elena put her hand up, gesturing to her to hold on.

"No."

"_Jenna's been my little spy for days now._" Elena glanced back at Jenna, who's innocently cutting a loaf of bread, completely unaware she's been compelled by a psychopath. "_But unlike you, Jenna actually listens to me. So when I suggested that the world would be a much better place if she were to just-_"

From behind her, Elena heard Louise shout. "Jenna, no!"

Elena whipped around but it was too late. Louise started to dash but their aunt had already, lifted the knife she held in her hand and shoved it into her stomach without any hesitation. Blood began to pool everywhere as Alaric and Louise rushed to Jenna. Louise's ears are ringing so loud, she's unsure if she's yelling for Jenna to stay with them. All she was aware of was the knife sticking grotesquely out of her aunt.

"_Well, you get the idea._"

Once Katherine hung up, Elena was quick to dial 911 as she watched Alaric desperately try to stop the bleeding coming from his girlfriend's stomach.

* * *

Louise always hated hospitals. The smell, the noise, the lighting. It was just one tiny room of depression after another and she hated it. Jeremy's tapping his foot restlessly beside her, slumped over with his head to the floor. She doesn't know whether he's crying or not.

Their home had become yet another crime scene; blood pooled on the kitchen floor, dripping down the island middle. Police officers demanding questions, taking the lies on return easily. She doesn't remember getting good at it. Lying.

There are pins and needles in her feet and she got up from her chair she had wedged herself into only to start to pace the waiting room, back and forth, hearing her heart beat roaring in her ears. The eldest Gilbert girl walked into the waiting room and Jeremy was quick onto his feet.

"Is she okay?" Jeremy questioned.

"The doctors told Alaric that she got lucky." Elena answered as she blinked away the tears. "She's gonna make it. She's gonna be okay."

"Does she remember what happened?" Louise asked, trying her best not so seem shook up even though she clearly was.

"No, nothing." Elena shook her head. "It's all a part of Katherine's mind compulsion."

Jeremy furrowed his brows. "Why would Katherine hurt Jenna?"

"Because she's trying to send a message." Elena said, her voice cracking and she couldn't stop the tears filling her eyes. "That she could get to anybody." Elena turned away, not wanting to show her siblings how weak she felt. Louise was the first to pull her into a hug, allowing Elena to sob her heart out. It didn't take long for Jeremy wrapped his arms around both girls, muttering how it's going to be okay and both Katherine and Vivienne were gonna pay.

* * *

The house felt wrong. It felt empty without Jenna there. The doctors said she was going to be okay but the very thought of her aunt not making it and no longer being with them has now reduced Louise to tears. At first, it was just a few but they continued to flow as she walked up the stairs, eventually clouding her vision to the point she doesn't even realise Damon is in her room until his arms are around her.

"I'm sorry about Jenna."

The brunette nodded but couldn't seem to respond. What could she say? It's okay? Because it's not okay. Damon continued to comfort her, running his fingers softly though her chestnut brown hair. As much as she wanted to stay in his arms, realisation suddenly hit her and she froze. Louise pushed Damon away and he's taken off guard enough that he had to take a step back. She wiped the tears from her face and tried to gather her courage - she was going to need it.

"You killed Mason?" she asked but it came out more of a statement. "Didn't you? That's why she did this."

Damon shook his head, with every intention of saying words that would comfort her but only his guilt came out. "I riled Vivienne up. I wasn't thinking. I didn't think." he said quickly as if it would cushion the pain. He finally acknowledge his contribution to Vivienne's twisted retribution. It was barely an apology but it was the truth and it wasn't enough to steal her pain. "I didn't realise she would go this far."

"It's Vivienne. What did you expect was going to happen?" Louise spoke through tears, her voice raw, broken and defeated. He swallowed painfully as the need to protect her from any kind of pain overwhelmed him. He took her step towards Louise, his hand reaching out to her. "I want you to go."

Hurt flashed across his face and Damon is now rooted in his spot. "I'm not going to leave you after what Vivienne pulled tonight."

"Damon. Just go."

* * *

"I apologize if I seem rattled." Katherine spoke to her visitor as she paced around the room while Vivienne lounged casually on the bed, inspecting her manicured nails. "Circumstances have changed suddenly, and we had to adjust." She took a seat on the bed. "Mind control is a necessary evil. You see, we need a werewolf, and Vivienne lost the one that we had." This earned an eye roll from the younger sister. "Now, tell me what you're going to do to help us get a new one."

Matt Donovan's bright blue eyes stared into Katherine's chocolate brown ones as he repeated the words she planted in his head. "I'm going to go after Tyler Lockwood."

Katherine smiled as she leaned forward, using more compulsion on him. "And you're not going to stop."

"And I'm not going to stop." Matt repeated.

"Until?"

"Until he kills me."

* * *

**A/N**

**So, here's another chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it. Thoughts? Next chapter is the Masquerade ball and watch out all the Elijah fans, he'll be showing up real soon! Who's excited for the originals to appear because I certain am! Please review!** **And as always you can check out my tumblr 'tangleddiaries' to see edits and sneak peaks to chapters.**

***Answering reviews below***

**Wikked: Thank you so much, really appreaciate that! Glad you're enjoying it so far, hope you liked this chapter.**

**Serena: Glad you're liking it!**

**ellie . wright 101297: So happy you're enjoying it!**


	7. Masquerade

**Masquerade**

* * *

Caroline Forbes walked into the fairly busy Mystic Grill and she stopped a couple feet away from the door, her eyes automatically finding Matt and she stalking his every move. Matt happened to be busting the nearby table and found himself on the receiving end of the blonde's intense stare. The blue eyed human shifted uncomfortable, trying to squash the bubble of hope that surged in his gut at the sight of his ex-girlfriend who dumped him out of the blue.

"Do you need a table?" Matt hesitantly questioned, obvious confusion as to why she was there plastered on his face.

"No, I'm not staying. I just needed to use the little girls' room." Caroline blurted out before scampering away, her face red as tomato in mortification. Now she had to go to the bathroom. She rolled her eyes frustratingly and mentally smacked herself on the forehead.

Caroline sighed heavily as she turned on the tap water in the girl's bathroom. She was disappointed. She hated what she and Matt had become and in the moment as she washed her hands she looked up into the mirror to see Louise and Elena but this time she knew this was Vivienne and Katherine however she'll play along.

"Elena? Louise?"

"Hey, I saw you with Matt, are you okay?" Katherine asking, giving her now slightly perfected Elena impersonation, faux concern dripping in her voice.

"Yeah, you know...whatever." Caroline mumbled, attempting to flash past them with superspeed but Vivienne was too quick, grabbing a handful of the newbie's blonde curls and yanking her back.

"You're good." Vivienne complimented with a smirk on her face. Her smirk only deepened when she saw the frightened look on the blonde's face. "What gave us away? Was it the hair?" she questioned, twisting her own tight curls, then tilted her head. "Or was it my clothes?"

"I know Elena and Louise are-" She stuttered looking between the older vampires. "I know Elena and Louise are at home."

"We need you to deliver a message. Tell Damon and Stefan that we want the moonstone or we will rip this town apart until it rains blood." Katherine said and Caroline swallowed hard.

Vivienne promptly added. "_Tonight_, at the masquerade ball."

* * *

Jenna just got out of the hospital, more or less okay. On each side of her, Jeremy and Matt hand an arm tightly wrapped around her as they helped her limp to the front door of the Gilbert resistance. Elena held the 'get well soon' flowers and bears Jenna had gotten from her friends and Louise unlocked the door, pushing it aside, allowing them all to enter.

Jenna groaned, not like all the fuss that was being made. "Hey, stop fussing, I'm fine."

"We'll all just worried about you." Louise offered her aunt a small smile. "Besides, the doctors said that you have to take it easy."

"Yeah, you don't want to rip your stitches, haemorrhage and die, alright?" Jeremy chimed in. Him and Matt helped Jenna moved down the few steps from the foyer into the living room.

Jenna: Yeah, the only thing I'm gonna die from is embarrassment.

They all chuckled while Matt stated. "No."

"I walked into a knife. How does somebody do that?" Jenna stated with a smile in disbelief. Louise eyes fell to the floor as she was washed with a wave of gilt. Memories from that night clouded her mind. She pushed them back as she looked back up at her aunt with a forced smile.

"It was a freak accident." Elena spoke slowly, knowing that was not the truth. She exchanged a look with her sister, knowing it was Stefan's compulsion that made Jenna think that way.

"It happens." Jeremy said and Matt scoffed.

"Yeah, I mean I've done it like twenty times at the Grill." Matt smiled, trying to lighten up the mood. It worked. Jenna laughed but then winched in pain at the movement. "Okay, I'm being nice." he smiled. "Easy, easy." Matt and Jeremy lowered Jenna onto the couch and Louise propped up a pillow under her head. He turned, holding up a crumbled paper bag filled with some for Jenna. "What should I do with this?"

"I got it." Elena took the bag from him.

While Matt stayed in the living room, the Gilbert siblings made their way into the kitchen.

"So what are we gonna do?" Jeremy asked.

Elena sets things down on the kitchen island and sighed. "Make lunch."

"No, about Katherine and Vivienne." The Gilbert boy clarified.

Louise's dark orbs flew up to meet her brother's gaze and she shook her head. "We're not gonna do anything, Jer."

"Katherine tried to kill Jenna. We can't let her get away with that.

"Yes we can." Louise snapped, hands on her hip and her eyes narrowing into a warning glare. "If it keeps us safe then we can."

"And what if she tries something else? Or Vivienne does?"

Elena shook her head in frustration, gripping the back of her neck. "She won't. Katherine and Vivienne hurt Jenna because I didn't do what Katherine said. I'm not doing it now, me and Stefan are over. They wins, the end."

"You are being naïve and you know it." Jeremy hissed before storming out the kitchen and towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" Elena called after him.

"Out. I'll be back."

* * *

"Put the bags over there." Katherine sauntered in the room, Vivienne at her side, with a single shopping bag dangling loosely from her fingers as she ordered the innkeeper, Mrs Flowers trailed closely behind the brunettes, her arms filled to the brim with the majority of shopping bags. Vivienne moved to sit down comfortably on the bed while Mrs Flowers obeyed orders. "Thank you, Mrs. Flowers. You've been such a wonderful help."

The old woman smiled brightly at the two girls as she made her way back towards the door. "Oh, it's my pleasure. Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

"We will." Vivienne spoke up, smiling dismissively at the older woman before moving some of to the dozen of shopping bags closer to herself. They had went over board and brought way too much - that was very clear. She began to examine the context of the bags and Katherine rummaged through bag she held before she pulled out a black dressed with lace trimmings, cocking her head to the side as she examined the dress.

Vivienne was pulled out her internal debate between two dresses when heard a faint rustle of someone edging towards them. Before she could comment on it or make a move, her sister moved quick, pressing the intruder against the wall with a tight grip around their throat.

"Oh, Kat, chill." The woman said, lifting her hands up in defence.

"Do not sneak up on a vampire." Katherine warned, her voice full of promise and she released her hold.

"Don't attack a witch." The woman countered brushing her hand over her olive toned skin before smiling. "It's good to see you girl." Katherine pulled her into a hug and Vivienne met the witch's brown eyes and the witch gave her a huge grin.

"I'm glad you made it."

"You called, I came." Lucy shrugged slightly before she wrapped her arms around the other brunette.

Vivienne snickered, rolling her eyes as she smirked. She pulled back from the embrace "Like you had a choice."

Lucy Bennett was subjugated to the Pierce sisters. Not too long ago, Vivienne had saved her life and she was now indebted to her and Katherine, just like her ancestor Emily Bennett had been. If Katherine or Vivienne called, Lucy came; that was her life.

The witch's eyes scanned around the room before she took notice of the various of shopping bags on the floor and bed. Her hand slipped into a small bag close by, producing a gold masquerade mask with glittery detailing. She examined it for a moment before holding it up to her face, eyes squinting with a giggle. "Now, where does one wear this?" she wondered out loud, eyes bouncing between the two brunettes.

"To a masquerade ball. Tonight." Katherine responded with a smirk. "You want to be our date?"

Moments later, Katherine had moved to sit in front of a vanity table, straightening her trademark curls while Vivienne had regarded herself in front of the full length mirror with a pout as she ran a brush through her once curly mass of brown locks. The prosses of perfectly impersonating Louise Gilbert was more painful than she had anticipated. Straightened hair was just so plain to her.

"What's with the hair?" Lucy questioned from where she was lounging on the bed, rummaging through the many shopping bags the vampires had bought. Not too long ago, she had succeeded in performing a linking spell; linking the Gilbert twins to the Pierce twins. Lucy's eyes flickered between Vivienne and Katherine, biting her lip to stop from laughing at Vivienne's disgruntled features.

Katherine rolled her eyes with a tired sigh in response, her tone heavy with distaste. "We're impersonating our dull-as-dishwater doppelgängers Elena and Louise." she informed her. "They have the worst taste."

"Except in man." Lucy drawled and was sent a murderous glare from Vivienne. The witch titled her head. "Isn't it a risk pretending to be them in front of the entire town?"

"Doubt it." Vivienne replied with pursed lips as she observed herself in the mirror. "We've gotten quite good at it actually and everyone's gonna be in masks. It's for some feed this, something charity. It's for a good cause, Lucy."

"Hum, okay." Was all Lucy said. "Well, have either of you actually seen the moonstone before? I always thought it was some made up legend."

"We've seen it and we need you to help me get it back." Katherine told her, running a brush through her newly straight hair.

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do with it?" Lucy quirked an eyebrow catching the uncomfortable look on both their faces. The witch gaped at the vampires in shock as the realisation of their intentions hit her. "You want me to break the curse."

"Let's just get it first." Vivienne suggested, turning to face the witch.

"All we really need from you is backup." Katherine said as she tucked a single strand of hair behind her ear. A very Elena like move from what she had witnessed. "I can't imagine that Damon and Stefan are just gonna hand it over without putting up a fight."

Lucy gave a firm nod. "Why do you want to break the curse of the moonstone? Isn't that dangerous?"

Vivienne moved towards the bed, stopping at the edge. "We have our reasons."

"Didn't you loose your wolf?"

"Vivienne did." Katherine commented only to smirk when a murderous glare was sent her way by her sister.

Vivienne rolled her eyes at her sister's comment. She grabbed a pair of stilettoes from one of the bags and popped them on the bed. A small smirk, pulled at her lips. "That's another reason why we're going to the party tonight - there's a new wolf on the horizon."

"How so?" Lucy questioned with furrowed brows.

"Mason's nephew; Tyler but he hasn't triggered his inner wolf yet but he will tonight." Vivienne's smirk grew bigger as she spoke. "Got it all on lockdown."

* * *

Day soon turned to night and at the Lockwood's, the mansion had been completely transformed as it did for every event. It was crowded with the residents of Mystic Falls, all decked out in glamorous clothing and donned in masks, making their identities hidden, in the spirit of helping in the less fortunate in the name of charity. Music blasted from the speakers. There was shimmering lights and decorations every few feet, long tables filled with endless amount of food and drinks. Flame throwers and entertainment performers were scattered about to amuse the party goers.

The Pierce had arrived with their Bennett witch.

Katherine wore a black cocktail dress was lace trimmings and decorative stitching across the numerous skirt and clinched torso. A black filigree metal mask covered the top half of her face, only showing her dark eyes and cherry red lips. The vampire's arm linked with Lucy's while Vivienne clacked noisily in front of them - in her own scandalous black dress that accentuated every curve of her body and showed enough skin to make a nun swear. A black butterfly mask framed the upper half of her face with an intricate design. Her deep purple lips were pursed.

Lucy departed from the girls heading into a different direction. A passing tray of strawberries went around and Vivienne grabbed onto one with a sigh. As her eyes wandered the party, she bit down on the strawberry and pulled it away from her mouth.

"Heads up." Katherine muttered just as very surprised Matt Donovan approached the two.

"Elena? Louise?"

"Matt?" Katherine smirked as she looked the blue eyed human up and down. He looked gorgeous in his suit. "You look dashing."

"I thought you guys said you weren't coming." Matt smiled, eyes flickering between the twins.

"I couldn't miss it." Katherine said with a slight shrug. "You really are hot in a suit. I would love to just-"

"Elena." Vivienne playfully nudged her sister, playing along and Katherine shook her head internally, reminding herself this wasn't the time and her face become serious.

"Okay, here's the deal." Katherine leaned in, chocolate brown eyes dilating as she stared deep into his blue ones. "Do you know what you have to do?"

Matt's expression immediately goes blank as he responded. "I'm gonna get Tyler Lockwood really drunk. I'm going to start a fight with him and I'm gonna beat him until he snaps."

"And then?"

"I won't stop until he kills me." Matt repeated the words the vampire had compelled him to do.

"You're so hot! Ugh, it's a shame you have to die." Vivienne pouted before she gave a careless shrug. "Well, move along." She waved her hand dismissively so he'd leave.

Outside on the lawn, the Salvatores hovered by the door as they scanned the crowd. They were both dashing in a black suit, tie, slacks and white dress shirt and of course, a masquerade masks.

"Do you see them?" Damon asked his brother, trying to catch a glimpse of long dark hair anywhere.

"Nope. You're sure you can do this?" Stefan replied and Damon scoffed.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Oh, I had the chance to kill Katherine and I hesitated."

"Well that is the fork in the road between you and me my friend. I don't hesitate." As far as Damon was concerned, they'd have a harder job of making him hold back so that he didn't simply stake Vivienne on sight in front of everybody at the party and ruin the plan. Stefan still looked slightly doubtful, though.

"You spent a hundred and forty-five years loving Vivienne, it could happen." The youngest Salvatore tried to reason.

"And she spent a hundred and forty-five years allowing me to believe she was just on the other side of the door, waiting for me to come to her so we could be together forever. Trust me, brother - I _won't_ hesitate." Damon told him firmly and his brother nodded, seeming to accept this sound reasoning.

* * *

"I feel like an invalid." Jenna whined as she leaned forward on the couch, trying to reach her drink on the coffee table in front of her..

"That's because you _are_ an invalid." Elena smirked teasing as passed her aunt the drink she had reached for. Louise smiled as she lay the large pizza box on the table. She sighed, checking her phone to see she still hasn't receive any messages for anyone. She glanced over her shoulder, eyes narrowing as she saw Alaric typing on his phone.

"I'm gonna get some napkins." Louise entered the kitchen to see Alaric trying to open a bottle of wine, assuming that is how he'll make it through the evening seeing as Jenna can't have any with her pain meds. He glanced at her but looked away a little to quickly for her liking. She stopped in front of him, waiting for his undivided attention. "What's going on?" she asked bluntly. She was not in the mood to beat around the bush.

Alaric creased his eye brows as he asked. "What do you mean?"

"I haven't heard from anyone all day. It's like everyone's been avoiding me."

"Jeremy went to the masquerade ball. He hates stuff like that." Elena announced as she stepped into the room. "Something's up."

"I don't know what to tell you." Alaric shrugged, eyes bouncing between the two brunettes. His cell phone buzzed on the counter and he moved, quickly grabbing it before either of the girls could see who the message was from. Alaric tucked his phone away in his pocket.

"Yeah, there's obviously nothing going on." Louise muttered sarcastically.

Elena stared at her history teacher, contemplating the best way to find out the truth. "So then you'll be okay if Lou and I just head out, try to meet up with everyone."

"Wait, wait, wait." Alaric called, halting the twins from leaving.

Louise turned to face him with crossed arms. "Spill. Now."

Alaric let out a sigh before he finally confessed. "Stefan asked me to keep an eye on you guys, just in case Katherine or Vivienne showed up while he was at the party." He lied smoothly and Elena looked at him with furrowed brows.

"So Stefan's at the party too?" she asked. "He would never go to the party for himself; he did that stuff for me."

"Just let this one go." Alaric begged. Louise and Elena stared back at him, both unable to answer.

* * *

Damon stood on the small steps that led to the dance floor on the Lockwood grounds. His eyes roamed over the crowd in search for Vivienne or Katherine. He's been waiting for the right moment either one of them would present themselves. Finally, the vampire spotted Vivienne; walking down the stairs to the gazebo and he kept himself focused. She disappeared and his eyes temporarily too slow to realise until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Vivienne."

Her smile faded and she was now pouting. "You make my name sound like an insult."

"Maybe that was my intention."

Vivienne hummed and rolled her eyes in response.

"Wearing your hair straight now?" he asked. "It doesn't suit you." He stared off in front of him, refusing to look at her. But she's far too silent for his liking and he finally looked over at her. Her eyes are on the floor as she toyed with a straight strand of her hair.

Looking up through her long, dark lashes, she caught his gaze and he's reminded of his human life when a look like that made his heart flutter uncontrollably. "Well you're always nicer to Louise than me so, I thought the hair might help."

"How does that saying go? Imitation is a form of flattery? Louise must be tickled to know you want to be just like her." A small growl emitted in her chest and his smirked at her reaction. His blue eyes that had once been full of love when he looked at her. Now, all they were showing was pure hatred. Though she would never admit it, it hurt her. She inhaled deeply and a devilish smile formed on her lips as she titled her head, staring up at him with seductive eyes.

"Dance with me." Vivienne suggested, though it sounded more of an order.

"No." Damon said simply.

"Fine then tell me who I should kill." The brunette's lips pursed as her eyes wandered. "Him? How about her? She looks delicious."

Sighing, Damon finally gave into her games, offering his arm to which she took. He led her to the dance floor that was littered with people. Vivienne wrapped her arms around his neck, purposely pushing her body against his and he wrapped his arms around her. They swayed to the music and Vivienne chuckled.

"I've missed you."

Damon narrowed his eyes. It wasn't so much as her words that threw him off as the depth behind them. He liked to think he knew the difference between a honest gesture and a cruel tactic to get her way but she had the ability to throw him way off.

He copied her chuckle and spoke in somewhat of a hushed tone. "Why the charade?"

"How's Jenna? I certainly didn't expect her to survive that. Lucky girl." Vivienne's eyes flared with amusement. "Clumsy. How does one stab oneself?"

"Vivienne." Damon warned and she grinned at him. "Nobody needs to get hurt tonight."

"Okay." The brunette agreed. "Then give me the moonstone and nobody will."

"Well, you see, I don't have the moonstone on me. So, you and I will have to go get it together."

Vivienne seemed to give it a thought before she shook her head. "Hmm. I have a better plan. You go fetch it and I will try not to kill anyone in the meantime."

Back and forth like a cat and mouse, Damon replied. "My way or you don't get it."

Aimee, another teenager at Mystic Falls high, walked up to them and interrupted. Obviously, she mistook Vivienne for Louise. She grinned, a little shocked in the brunette's style in clothing. "Oh my god, Louise! You look so pretty." Aimee gushed and Vivienne smiled smugly. "I love that dress. You look gorge."

"Really? I think she looks like a slut." Damon chimed in and Vivienne flashed him a murderous glare.

"Anyway, I was just wondering if you've seen Matt." Aimee asked, eyes bouncing between the two warily as she sensed the tension.

"No, I haven't." Vivienne pouted. "But I love your necklace."

Aimee beamed as she touched the piece of jewellery around her neck. "Oh, thanks."

"Oh it's twisted." Vivienne tutted. The girl went to go fix it but the vampire stopped her. She pulled away from Damon to walk behind the teenager. "Here, let me, here we go." In a blink of an eye, Vivienne punched her hand into the human's spine and the wounded girl gave a dying gasp. "Paralyzed from the waist down." Another punch and Aimee slumped over. "And dead."

Vivienne tossed the body to Damon, who caught it in the midst of the crowded dance floor. The older vampire didn't seem to care one bit about the exposure.

"The moonstone, Damon. Tick tock."

* * *

Alaric and Jenna are cuddled up on the couch watching a sitcom that no one sober could possible think is funny, which means they both find it hilarious. Alaric has drank enough wine for the both of them and Jenna took her pain meds a little while ago. This probably the only shot for Louise and Elena slip away unnoticed, short of waiting for them both to pass out but they didn't have that kind of time.

"We're about to head to bed. You guys okay over there?"

They both glanced the twins way for a fraction of a second to say goodnight before turning back to the tv to laugh at something. Elena took the opportunity to grab Jenna's car keys, shushing her sister as they both slid out the door. Louise prayed they don't hear the car start.

* * *

Vivienne soon joined her sister to inform her about her encounter with Damon not too long ago. As the two brunettes wandered around, eyes scanning the crowd for any threats or danger, Lucy smoothly danced up to the two vampires.

"Neither of you told me that there was another witch here." The witch announced.

Katherine raised an eyebrow, looking at her sister then back at the witch. She titled her head, acting dumb. "Didn't we?"

"No, you didn't. No one is supposed to know I'm involved." Lucy said through gritted teeth. "This changes things."

"This changes nothing." Vivienne snapped, turning to face the witch. "You're here because you owe your dear friends a favour." Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout. "You wouldn't want to lose my friendship now, would you?" Lucy didn't respond which resulted in Vivienne smirking.

"Elena. Louise." Jeremy Gilbert approached them causing Vivienne's smirk to fall from her face slightly. He removed his mask, looking towards Lucy. "Hey sorry, could I talk to my sisters?" Lucy looked between the two vampires before nodding and walking off.

"What is it Jeremy?" Katherine questioned in a fake sweet voice as Jeremy move to stand in the place Lucy was moments ago.

"I have a message from Stefan." Jeremy stated. Surprised was plastered on both brunettes faces as they exchanged looks before looking back at the Gilbert boy. "He and Damon want you guys to meet them at the edge of the lake by the woods. They brought the moonstone."

Vivienne narrowed her eyes. "And why are you their little messenger?"

"Because they know I'm not afraid of either of you."

"Hmm, you Gilbert men, so courageous." Katherine mused. "How's John by the way? Were they able to sew his fingers back on?" She stroked his tie before her and Vivienne walked away.

Jeremy's part of the plan was completed; go to Vivienne and Katherine and tell them Damon and Stefan wanted to meet them at the edge of the lake and wait for them to take the bait. However, they thought of everything - the Pierce would never do something they told them to do, knowing it was a trap. So the next part was on Caroline, whom Jeremy was currently texting as he made his way around the party at the front.

An arm reached out and grabbed him, pulling him behind a bush. Surprised plastered Jeremy's face as he looked between his two older siblings.

"What the hell is going on?" Elena demanded.

The teenager didn't want to reveal any part of their plan in fear of getting the wrath of the Salvatore brothers. Both, Louise and Elena were growing impatient by the second as he avoided the question but when Bonnie finally joined them, they realised they had no choice but to spill the beans.

"We're trying to kill Vivienne and Katherine." The witch confessed. Louise and Elena's responds came at the same time, overlapping each other.

"You guys are trying to kill them here?"

"What? Now?"

Jeremy is completely unfazed by his sisters outrage. "We saw an opportunity and we knew we had to take it."

"Okay, stop with the "we", are you guys crazy?" Louise looked back and forth between her brother and best friend like they were lunatics. Right now, in her eyes, they were. "You're gonna get yourselves killed."

"We know what we're doing." Bonnie stated confidently.

"And how am we supposed to feel if one of you guys gets hurt because of us?" Elena asked, gesturing between her sister and herself and Louise nodded in agreement.

"It's not just you anymore. They've messed with all of us, they have to be stopped." Jeremy told them.

* * *

Inside the mansion, Caroline is watching her ex boyfriend from across the room who was hanging with Tyler and Sarah. Matt stopped to look her way for a split second before he left the room. Her phone buzzed in her purse and retrieved it to read a text message from Jeremy say; 'your turn'. The blonde let out a small sigh before she walked through an empty part of the manor. As she went to open the door Vivienne and Katherine arrived.

Vivienne grabbed the younger vampire's arm and twisted it, shoving her violently against a wall. This dazed her momentarily as her head rebounded hard off the wall.

"What are Stefan and Damon up to?" Katherine asked.

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked, her voice was meek.

"Well, we've got Jeremy Gilbert trying to lure us out to the lake." Vivienne snapped. "What's going on?"

"I don't know-" Caroline gasped as Vivienne's grip tightened. "Nothing." Vivienne growled before flipping Caroline around to face her, clasping her hand tightly around the blonde's throat, only slightly lifting her from the ground.

"Don't lie to me, Caroline." Vivienne warned with narrowed eyes. "They're up to something, what is it?"

"I-" Caroline's eyes widened as the grip on her throat tightened, cutting off her air supply. "Wait, no, no, no! Okay. They're trying to kill you two."

"Figured as much." Vivienne sighed, looking towards her sister before looking back at Caroline. "Where is the moonstone?"

"Bonnie has it."

"And where is Bonnie right now?" Katherine asked this time through gritted teeth.

"I don't know." Caroline said simply. Vivienne's respond was too tighten her grip around the younger vampire's neck as she lifted her off the ground causing Caroline's legs to dangle nimbly. "Okay. She's upstairs, she's upstairs!" Caroline shrieked frantically.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Vivienne released her only for a moment before grabbing a hold of the Caroline's blonde curly locks and proceeded to drag her along with her. There was no way she was letting the blonde out of her sight now. Katherine led the way as they made their way upstairs.

"Why do you keep dragging me into this?" Caroline cried, eyes filling with tears at the painful hold on her roots. "I don't want any part of it."

"Shut up!" Vivienne snapped her at, tugging her hair hard which caused her to whimper.

"Which room is it?" Katherine inquired, as they halted at the stairs and she looked around at the various rooms.

Caroline stayed silent for a moment before she jerked her head towards the room in front of them. "It's that one."

Katherine burst through the doors and Vivienne grumbled under her breath, finally releasing the blonde before sauntering inside, looking for the witch in question. Both brunettes turned back to look at Caroline. "Where is she?" The eldest twin asked.

Caroline shook her head as she released a disbelieving laugh. "I did it!" she said, sounding a little surprised but very pleased with herself. She had carried off her part of the plan to perfection. "I really didn't think that I'd be able to fool either of you but I did it!"

An angry Vivienne rushed towards the younger vampire only to get knocked back by the invisible shield Bonnie had created that surrounded the room. She stumbled back and hissed. "What the...?" She sighed heavily with realisation and turned to see the younger Salvatore.

"Stefan." Katherine growled.

"Hello, girls."

"Goodbye, Katherine. Goodbye, Vivienne." Caroline sneered smugly, wiggling her fingers before retreating back down the stairs.

Katherine placed her hand on her hip as she examined the wooden stake in Stefan's hand. "You don't _really_ think that you can kill us both with that now, do you?"

"No," Stefan admitted. "But _he_ can."

Damon stepped into the room, the first stake already fired from the compressed air weapon Alaric had developed before either brunettes could react. It went into Vivienne's back, causing her to cry out in pain and stumbled forward. Damon felt a perverse rush of pleasure at the sound of her pain. He had enjoyed torturing Mason Lockwood but not like this; that had been a sport to him this was revenge.

Stefan didn't give Katherine any time to help her sister as he rushed forward, driving a stake through her arm. She cried out loud as the blood started to spill from the injury. He charged at her once again, pulling the stake out her arm, ready to plunge it back into the already healing wound on her arm. She hissed, shoving him backwards into a coffee table, resulting in the breaking the wood off into pieces. Seemingly unfazed by her show of strength, the younger Salvatore was quick to get back on his feet.

Damon moved to pry his own stake from the centre of Vivienne's back, ready to plunge it right back into the seeping wound. Chocolate strands of hair whipped his face as a furious Vivienne whirled around to face him just in time to grab his arm as he tried to drive the stake into her back and threw the younger vampire against the wall, sending various picture frames crashing to the floor.

Stefan pressed the small trigger button on the compressed air stake that he perfectly hide out of sight under his jacket. Two small wooden stakes flew into his hand. At blinding speed, he threw the first one at Vivienne's back but the brunette anticipated the attack and ducked. Katherine caught the other flying stake in her hand and sent it back his way. Stefan breathed in relief when he ducked just in time, the stake missing him by mere inches and landing in the wall.

Damon sprung from the floor, charging towards Vivienne and knocking her to the floor. He wasted no time in raising the stake above her.

* * *

A blood curdling scream suddenly escaped from Louise as her hand flew up to her back where there was a sharp shooting pain right in the dead centre of her back and she cold feel warm liquid streaming down her back and unfortunately stain her white shirt. Her legs buckled beneath her at the pain but Jeremy caught her before she could hit the floor.

"Lou!" Elena gasped, eyes widening at the sudden sight of blood pooling down her sister's back. She was about to tend to her sister but it was her turn to let out a cry of agony at searing pain tore through her arm and she clasped down on the source of pain, blood oozing through her fingers.

"What's going on?" Jeremy questioned, afraid for his sisters.

Suddenly, Bonnie was hit was realisation as she looked up at the Lockwood mansion and remember what was currently going on. It all seemed simple; a spell.

"Jeremy, it's Katherine and Vivienne." Bonnie concluded. "They're linked to them. Get them to stop!" Jeremy was too shocked to do anything for a second. "Now!" He didn't need to be told twice as he sprinted off.

* * *

If Vivienne's honest, she isn't certain what she more surprised at the fact Stefan is willing to kill her and Katherine or that Damon is.

It's the first time that she has seen the dark Damon. His eyes are clear ice and she wondered if it is her that has frozen them. The moment he is about the plunge the stake in her heart, she forgets that this will destroy him because it will kill Louise too; all she saw was the gleam of victory in Damon Salvatore's eyes and this is when she finally met the vampire that everyone has been talking about.

Damon was about to finally put an end to Vivienne Pierce when Jeremy burst into the room. "Stop!" He yelled. "You're hurting Elena and Louise! Everything you're doing is hurting Elena and Louise!"

Damon froze, stunned and he looked down at a smirking Vivienne. Stefan released his hold on Katherine.

Vivienne rose to her feet, giggling slightly at the Salvatore brothers horrified features. How were they always one step ahead, no matter how well thought out their plan was? Damon growled to himself. "You think you two are the only ones with a witch on your side?" she questioned rhetorically. "Wrong and something tells me that our witch is better than your witch."

"Jeremy, go check on the girls. Make sure they're okay. Go!" Stefan ordered and Jeremy immediately took off.

Katherine snatched the stake from Stefan. "Let's all make sure poor Elena and Louise are okay." The vampire ran the stake down her palm, eliciting a long and deep cut. She smiled sadistically knowing that with every inch she cut, her doppelganger was feeling it. "Just a little bit more pressure." Stefan quickly slapped the stake away from her.

* * *

Louise's teeth clenched together as she bit back the urge to release another pain filled scream. Elena hissed in pain as a newly jagged line of dark blood ran down the palm of her hand.

"Bonnie, it hurts." Elena cried.

"I can't break the spell." Bonnie explained brokenly. Sorry, worry, fear and pain etched on her features. "I'm sorry but I can try to take some of the pain away. Okay? Okay?" Louise barely nodded, sniffing lightly through the pain and Bonnie took each of their hands, closing her eyes as she started to recite a spell. "Ascinda, mulaf, hinto, ascinda…"

As Latin words rolled off the witch's tongue, the some of the pain was lifted.

* * *

Vivienne quickly grabbed a stake from the side and turned to face Damon with a smirk on her face, twirling the stake in her hand for him to see. "Tell sweet, little Louise that I'm sorry but this is really gonna hurt." she uttered, raising the stake with two hands about her head before plunging it down towards her stomach. Damon's eyes widened.

"Wait!" Damon cried out, stopping her mid action.

Vivienne halted just shy away from her stomach and Damon heaved a sigh of relied. A blow like that would do nothing to Vivienne - nothing that would last anyway - but Louise was human and a wound like that wasn't something she would be able to easily walk away from.

"Okay." Vivienne smirked smugly. "So, how about that moonstone?"

Her question went unanswered. Vivienne and Katherine moved to lounge carelessly on the large red couch in the room and Damon stood at the threshold, testing the barrier to determine how hard it would be to escape.

"The four of us together just like old times." Vivienne mused, her eyes bouncing between the brothers. "The brother who loved me too much and the one that didn't love my sister enough."

"And the evil slut vampire who only loved herself." Damon added with a smile.

"What happened to you huh, Damon?" Vivienne questioned with mock hurt. "You used to be so sweet and polite."

"Oh, that Damon died a _long_ time ago."

"Good. He was _such_ a bore."

Stefan laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Oh, why don't you two stop antagonizing each other?"

"Where is the moonstone?" Katherine changed the subject.

"What do you want with it?" Stefan countered.

"Does Louise enjoy having you worship at her alter?" Vivienne questioned Damon, looking directly at him. "I mean, it is obvious that you love her, but you're too scare to tell her because you're scared she won't feel the same way and run...but she must enjoy all the attention you give her."

Stefan looked towards his brother then back at Vivienne. This was her tool of distraction, trying to rile up Damon. "That was really desperate, Vivienne. Don't you think that we can see right through you?"

Vivienne rolled her eyes at Stefan but her eyes were still fixed on his brother. "So it doesn't bother you that I made you scared to show your true emotions for another woman?"

This time it was he younger Salvatore who rolled his eyes. "Oh, stop it."

"Or what? You'll hurt me?" Vivienne rose from her seat with a grin on her face. "Come on, Stefan. Everything that I feel, Louise feels, so go ahead." Chocolate brown eyes suddenly lit up, which meant nothing good. She looked towards Damon. "Or better yet, kiss me, Damon. She'll feel that too."

She expected him to come forward, to crash his lips down on hers. But he doesn't even budge. This panicked her ever so slightly. He isn't so predictable anymore. He doesn't bow to her every need and whim.

"You know, this whole Mason thing has me a bit confused. Why a werewolf? The moonstone can break a curse that would help them destroy all vampires so what's in that for you?" Stefan asked. Vivienne fell silent and Katherine stayed silent, inspecting her polished fingernails.

"Sorry about your pet wolf." Damon grinned, clearly not apologetic. "Probably should have kept him on a tighter leash."

Just as Damon hoped, Vivienne turned to face him and lets them in on another part of their plan. "I'll have to remember that for next time. He's not the only wolf in town."

The situation did not improve. None of them could leave the room until Bonnie lifted the spell she'd placed on it to trap Katherine and Vivienne. Damon was seething and Vivienne did nothing but antagonise him. Her wounds had healed of course, but all he could think about was Louise. Was she okay? Why had she come to the party? Of course, she would have realised something was up given that everybody was under strict instructions not to tell her anything about the plan for the night.

Once again, Damon tried to test the barrier on the threshold out of impatience and he hissed to himself. "Damn it! Where is that witch?"

"We could play charades." Vivienne suggested as she walked around the couch.

"You bargained the moonstone." Stefan finally came to a realisation as he looked down at Katherine.

"What are you mumbling about over there?" Damon glanced over his shoulder at his younger brother.

"When you struck a deal with George Lockwood, to help you fake your deaths, you told me that you gave George something that he needed." Stefan knew he was onto something but he just needed Katherine to confirm it. "It was the moonstone, wasn't it?" Katherine's mouth was pressed into a straight line whereas Vivienne mouth turned up into a slight smirk.

"Good for you, Stefan. Two plus two...And it would have worked except that people found out that we weren't in the tomb." Vivienne glared pointedly at an unbothered Damon. "Thanks to you, by the way. Have I mentioned how inconvenient your obsession with me has been?"

"You and me both, honey." Damon drawled back.

"Why do you need it back?" Stefan asked, looking at Katherine, knowing if he could get somewhat of a straight answer, it would be from her.

Katherine rose from her place on the couch, edging closer to the Salvatore but didn't answer his question. "I love you in a suit, so dashing."

Stefan wasn't one to give up easily. "What were you doing with it in the first place?"

"You're wasting your breath, Stefan." Damon warned.

"Unless it wasn't yours to begin with. In 1864 you faked your deaths. Who were you running from?"

"In 1987 you were in Chicago, at a concert of all places with that wench, Lexi." Katherine stated suddenly, changing the subject. She giggled at the expression on the green eyed vampire's face. "Come on Stefan, don't look so surprised. Of course I checked in on you over the years. You were standing in the front row, dancing all night. You were watching Bon Jovi and I was watching you."

"Who were you running from?" He repeated once again, ignoring her. She was trying to derail him from his course but he wasn't gonna let that happen. Katherine doesn't respond, she just parted her cherry red lips to mouth, 'I love you'.

"We're missing the party." Vivienne whined with a pout as she stared longingly out the window at the partygoers having a blast. She sighed heavily before her gaze flickered towards the eldest Salvatore who was pouring himself another glass of scotch with a frustrated expression. "I'll have one of those."

"Right away, Miss Vivienne." He taunted, mimicking the voice of a servant boy as he poured her a glass.

"Thank you." She smirked when he handed her a glass but then is thrown off guard when he successfully pinned her against the wall. Stefan tried to pull him off, but Vivienne is surprised she barely notices him. Damon is so melodramatic, he draws attention to him.

"No, no! Damon, don't!" Stefan grabbed him to keep him from following through. Damon wouldn't have done it, anyway. Not with Louise's life on the line.

Vivienne's eyes lit up. "Yes, Damon, by all means please kill me."

"The second the spell is lifted, I'm gonna drive a stake right through your heart." Damon growled at her.

"God, you're hot. When did you get so...hot?" It is a game, Vivienne admits to herself. A ploy to see if she really has lost all power over Damon. He pushed away from her in disgust.

All their attention were turned to the doorway where Lucy Bennett approached, holding a smooth white oval stone in her hand. Her eyes flickered between the Pierce twins. "The spell on this room has been broken, you two are free to leave."

"Thank God." Katherine breathed tiredly as she moved towards the witch.

"When I hand this over my debt to you is over." Lucy stated, looking at Vivienne as she held the moonstone between them.

"Done." Vivienne agreed almost instantly. It was a small price to pay in exchange for the moonstone.

"I owe you _nothing_." Lucy emphasized.

Vivienne glared, a little annoyed. "I said _done_. Now, give it."

Damon took a step forward, trying to prevent the hand over, but it was too late. The witch handed Vivienne the stone. Only as soon as Vivienne's hand clasped around the stone she started to choke. Katherine watched with wide eyes as her sister collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. The moonstone clattered to the ground.

"What have you done?" Katherine turned to Lucy before she clutched her own throat as she began struggling to breath. She sank to her knees beside her sister, face contorting in pain.

"You should have told me another witch was involved. She's a Bennett witch, but I'm sure you guys knew that."

Stefan's stomach twisted, panicked. "Wait, the girls!"

The witch smiled softly at the vampire. "The girls are fine. The spell is broken. They'll heal quickly, Bonnie's with them." She looked down at the now unconscious vampires on the floor. "I apologise for my involvement." She offered another smile before slipping out the room.

* * *

Most people had left the party now but luckily, Vivienne and Katherine hadn't managed to leave without punishment. They were both in the boot of Damon's car ready to be taken to the tomb where they'll hopefully stay for hundreds of years. Louise is incredibly grateful for the numbness that's come over her body. She can't feel the pain from the wounds, can barely feel the blood that's still trickling down her skin and as for emotions. Those pretty much gone. She can't fell anything. It's as if Bonnie's spell has provided some calming anaesthesia for her body and soul.

"How are you feeling?" Damon's quite voice somehow gets through to her and she glanced up at him from her spot on a bench.

"Numb." She answered honestly, her voice coming out thick and hoarse. "I'm healing and the pain's gone..."

"You should have some blood." Damon told her. "You know, the vampire blood, just to make sure. Get some from Caroline or something."

"I'll see her doctor." Louise replied.

Damon shook his head and sat down next to her. "This wasn't suppose to happen."

"Nobody knew it was going to happen, Damon. It's okay." Louise tried to reassure him. Knowing Damon in a bad mood isn't a good thing.

"You weren't suppose to get hurt. You nor Elena weren't suppose to be involves in the first place!" He exclaimed in frustration.

"Either way, Vivienne and Katherine would have had the spell put on us to link us. If we hadn't been here we would probably died, Damon. It's okay. It's alright." She told him, rubbing his arm comfortingly. He turned to her with a small frown, looking down into her captivating doe eyes.

"No, you're not. You weren't suppose to get hurt." He repeated again, his hand brushing over the wound on her hand before he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, stroking her cheek lightly in the process. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

"Can I burrow your jacket?" she asked abruptly. She knew when she got home she wouldn't make it past Alaric or Jenna. Jenna might be on painkillers and spacier than usual but even she would notice the garish bloodstains on Louise's shirt. And a frantic Jenna on painkiller is not a Jenna she particularly wants or cares to see.

"Of course." he said, immediately standing up to take off his jacket. She stood too as he place it around her shoulders. "I'm sorry. I should have-"

"No, no, it's to cover my shirt." she explained as his arms rested on her shoulders. She breathed a little easier at his touch. "Are they really gone? Is Vivienne really gone?" She only asked these questions after a moment's thought.

"Yes, seems that way. Katherine and Vivienne are gone. The threat has been eliminated." Damon told her. Louise search his icy blue eyes. She wasn't sure what to say now that it was all over. "Look, Louise can we talk?"

"Can we talk to tomorrow?" The brunette asked, rubbing the side of her head gently. "If Vivienne is really gone, then we will have time tomorrow. I just...I need to go home and rest, now, okay?"

"I'm putting Vivienne in the tomb." He told her in a low voice. "Where she belongs. Louise, I did it for you, okay? I didn't do for me or anybody else she's hurt, I did it for you. Just remember that." Swallowing, Louise nodded. He stared at her for a minute longer, his eyes moving longingly to her lips.

"Okay." She managed to say and Damon vamp sped away, leaving nothing but a whisper of air behind.

* * *

"Vivienne." he said, singsongingly." Vivienne, wake up. Come on, you cold-hearted bitch." He continued, voice hardening. "Wakey, wakey."

He watched her start to shift as she clutched the moonstone, precious to her even in the predicament she did not understand yet. Her feet slid against the ground, high heels finding no purchase and her dark hair swished against the rock. She gasped over and over, the rhythm and the sound wholly familiar and wholly out of context and character. She glanced around her to see Katherine on the floor too, eyes still closed, unconscious.

"Hello, Vivienne."

"Where am I?" Vivienne moaned, rubbing her head.

"Where you should have been all along." Damon told her. His hatred was tired, his resolve dissolved away, his determination a product of nature she'd birthed in him. "I thought you'd have learned your lesson by now, messing with a Bennett witch."

She scrambled to the door and he resolved to let her test it's strength. Her fingers scratched and scrabbled at the edges of the door. Useless fury curved her back. "You should have killed me."

"Death would have been too kind."

He heard her beg as he moved towards her and placed both hands around the large stoned door. Her heard his name, his name on her lips, his name in her eyes. His own features closed and detached once their gaze touched. He pushed. _Elena and Louise are in danger._ Stop.

"From who?" he asked and the brunette shook her head, refusing to answer. It took a moment for his eyes to reach hers once again. "You're lying, you're always lying."

"Why do you think we haven't killed them both?" she asked before answering her own question. "Because Elena's the doppelganger and Louise is the seer, her blood is rare, non-existent. They need to be protected. Louise needs to be protected."

"Then I'll protect her. Stefan's got Elena. We can protect them both while you and Katherine rot in hell."

"No, Damon, don't! I'll do anything, please. Damon!" She begged again, her voice filled with desperation. "You need me! Damon! You need me! _You need me!_" The door shit, fitting seamlessly where her finger had scratched and scrabbled.

* * *

Louise tested the wound on her back but it did seem to be healing, though not as quickly as vampire blood could have done the job. She considered Damon's suggestion of asking Caroline for help rather than going to see a doctor; a wound like that would be hard to explain. Sighing, she made her way through what remained of the party. As she headed across the parking lot, she spotted Elena standing at the car, waiting with arms wrapped around herself.

"Hey, you okay?" Louise asked as she approached her. "You and Stefan-"

"Still broken up." Elena whispered, eyes casting down to the floor. "I just want to go home."

"You and me both." Louise agreed as she searched her pockets for the car keys. "Wait, Jeremy?"

"He got a ride with Bonnie."

Louise suddenly felt as though someone was standing behind her. Thinking maybe Damon had followed her, she turned only to find herself face to face with a tall figure wearing a festive mask that covered his whole face.

"Elena, run-"

* * *

**A/N**

**First off, I want to say happy new year guys! I hope 2020 has been treating you all good so far. Anways...here's a new chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it. Please continue to; review, alert, fav. Tell me how you think Louise is going to react to Damon's love confession next chapter.** **And as always you can check out my tumblr 'tangleddiaries' to see edits and sneak peaks to chapters.**

**Next chapter - we meet Elijah.**


	8. Rose

**Rose**

* * *

The vibrant rays of the morning sun, filtered through the clouds and down on the dirt roads, heating up the almost bare lands. It was a secluded country area with a few trees and bushes that lined the deserted roads. A black SUV with tinted windows pulled up into the none vacant lot, parking next to a smaller car. A man climbed out of the car and walked up to the SUV. The blacked out window rolled down just enough for the man to see the man in the driver of the SUV wearing a cap and sunglasses.

"Where are they?" The concealed guy asked in a low voice.

"In the trunk," The other man said. "I did exactly what you said."

"Good, put them in the back."

The man moved away from the SUV and to his car, where his companion popped open the trunk which revealed two unconscious teenage girls. One at a time, he lifted the girls and loaded them into the back of the large SUV. The driver of said SUV watched the exchange with curious eyes in the rear view mirror until his eyes fell on the two brunettes and he all but gasped. The girls shared very similar appearance; light olive complexion, straight brown hair and strong features. They were exact replicas of Katerina and Viviana Petrova. More than he had even thought possible. His eyes flickered between the set of twins.

After shutting the trunk, the man returned to the owner of the SUV.

"Thank you for your help."

"Is there anything else?"

"One more thing. Come closer, please." The man had a puzzled look but closer as he was told and the owner of the SUV rolled down the window less conservatively. He beckoned the other man. "Closer."

The minute the man was close enough, the vampire latched onto the human's neck, being careful not to expose his skin to the scorching rays of the sun. The human struggled but eventually stopped jerking when he became too weak as the blood left his body. Once satisfied, the vampire let human's now dead body drop to the ground with a thud. He smiled cynically as she wiped the blood from his lips.

* * *

Elena stirred groggily as she started to return to a state of consciousness. The first thing she was aware of, after the constant throb of pain issuing from her skull, was the darkness. It surrounded her in a thick blanket and she had to blink a few times just to make sure her eyes were actually open. The next thing she came to notice was that her hands and feet were bound with ropes as she tried to push herself upwards but soon realised that the very effort of the action wasn't an option. She struggled against the ropes but her attempts were futile.

If she held her breath, she thought that she could hear someone's footsteps but the sound was too quiet for her to be sure.

She came to her next realisation she was in a trunk of a car when a man clad in black popped open the trunk and the brunette squinted as the bright light poured in. The man's face was framed with black large glasses and he had dark hair.

"Good you're awake. Saves me the trouble of making a return trip." He muttered as he untied the ropes around her ankles before hauling her out of the trunk. Elena swayed a little as she found her balance and the man moved to pick up Louise who's hands and feet were also bounded by ropes and her chocolate brown hair spread wildly around her.

"Lou." Elena gasped before she glared at her captor who picked up her sister bridal style . "What have you done to her?!"

"Don't worry. She's fine." he responded simply. "Now, move." He instructed and jerked his head towards the door.

They walked into a dirty old house and he ushered Elena into what was supposed to be a living room. Paint peeled off the walls in grey and brown splotches while water marks stained the floors and ceilings. Dusted chandeliers hung from the ceiling and the only light came from the tinted windows.

Elena's features contorted in fear and she watched with nervous eyes as the man gently placed her sister on the couch before he removed the ropes that tied her hands and feet.

"What do you want?" Elena asked, directing her focus on their kidnapper. The man's only response was to hold up a single finger to his lips as he shushed her with a small shake of his head. She could feel her wounds still aching desperately from where she'd been bound to Katherine and she winced. "Please, I'm hurt." She attempted to plead with him.

"I know." His gaze moved to the wound, which was still bloody. He reached forward, grabbing her by the upper arms and he took a deep breath through his nostrils. The whites of his eyes pooled red and his mouth opened to reveal his elongated canines. "Just a taste." Elena struggled in his grip as he leaned forward, his hot sticky breath on her neck.

"Trevor! Control yourself." A stern female voice came from behind him and Trevor halted in his attempts.

"Buzzkill." Trevor muttered before vamp speeding out the room. Elena was now face to face with the newcomer, a quite beautiful woman with a short brown hair styled in a pixie cut and big green eyes.

"What do you want with us?" The brunette questioned timidly.

"Oh my god," The woman spoke with and English accent, her eyes travelling over Elena's face with fascination before she peered around Elena, looking at the figure sleeping peacefully on the couch, her face in full view. "You guys look just like them."

Elena got a now-familiar twisting feeling in her gut and she swallowed. "But we're not. Please, whatever you-"

"Be quiet!" The woman ordered.

"But I'm not Katherine and she's not Vivienne. My name is Elena Gilbert and that's Louise Gilbert," Elena explained, gesturing to herself and her sister. "You don't have to do this."

"I know who you are, I said be quiet." The female vampire snapped.

"What do you want?" Elena demanded more urgently, panicking now that she knew the woman was aware they weren't Katherine and Vivienne. It all happened in a matter of seconds. The woman raised her hand and slapped the brunette across the face so hard it sent her flying back into the couch beside Louise, knocking her out cold.

"I want you to be quiet." The woman snarled before exiting the room.

* * *

Louise groaned. A dull ache resonated from her head. Every time she tried to move her head, it throbbed. She felt strange, as if she's on an airplane and her stomach's not quite well. Groggily opening her heavy eyelids and Louise instantly froze in panic. Why wasn't she at home in bed? Why was she still wearing the same clothes as last night? That's when she realised she was on a dirty, old couch. She looked around the rom at the extremely rundown, neglected and dilapidated room.

The events of last night came flooding back. The jester. He kidnapped her.

A body lay on the couch beside her and she immediately recognised the brown hair and pink bloodied shirt. Louise quickly rushed to her unconscious sister's side, kneeling on the floor. A frown spread across her face when she took notice of a large red hand print imbedded on her right cheek, already forming a sort of a bruise.

"Elena." Louise whispered as she shook her gently. Elena muttered something but didn't stir. "Elena, please wake up."

After a few more attempts at trying to wake her sister, a groan emitted from Elena and her eyes slowly fluttered open. She sat up slowly and it took her by surprise when Louise pulled her in for a tight hug. Recovering from the display of reassurance, Elena moved to rub her bruised cheek with the smallest of pout. A hiss escaped her lips as she prodded at the mildly swollen skin.

"We need to get out of here." Louise whispered and Elena nodded in agreement.

Together, the Gilbert twins stealthily as possible, snuck across the dusty room and towards the hallway. Their captors' voices echoed as they moved closer to the room that they currently inhabited and what Louise could make out, both, the male and female had a strong British accent.

"Did you or did you not get the message to Elijah?" The man called Trevor demanded, the fear in his voice going unnoticed. Elena and Louise exchanged a glanced as they wondered who this 'Elijah' was that he managed to strike fear in a vampire's heart.

"They say he got it." Was the woman's short reply.

"Wonderful and what?"

"So that's it Trevor." The obvious irritation in her voice. "He either got it or he didn't. We just have to wait."

"Look, it's not too late. We can leave it here." Trevor suggested. "We don't have to go through with this."

"I'm sick of running!" The woman snapped back harshly.

"Yeah? Well, running keeps us from dying."

"Elijah's old school. If he accepts our deal, we're free."

Elena accidently stepped on a loose floorboard which created a low creak. While the sound was too low for the human ear to pick up, the vampires heightened sense of hearing overheard the disruption in the background and finally, Louise was able to get a look at their captors. In the blink of an eye, the female was in front of them.

"You two! There's nothing around here for miles!" she snapped. "If you think you're getting out of this house, you're tragically wrong. Understand?"

Louise gulped in fear but forced herself the ask: "Who's Elijah?"

The woman's eyes bounced between the two brunettes, her reply immediate, yet irritatingly ambiguous. "He's your worst nightmare."

Elena squeezed her sister's hand tightly and Louise pulled out of her grip as they followed the woman into another room. This one was decked out like some sort of library and just as dusty as the other only difference was the books scattered across the ground haphazardly, falling apart by a mere touch.

"You've got a lot of books." Louise commented, strolling over to the desk.

"Keeps me occupied." The vampire muttered.

"While you're on the run?" The seer cocked an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you can manage to lug it all around."

In response, large green eyes, narrowed into a glare at the brunette. The room fell quiet once again. Louise and Elena watched as the vampire began to board up the windows, blocking the blazing sunrays from seeping into the room. The eldest Gilbert was officially getting fed up and she was desperate for answers. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Why am we here?" Elena questioned.

"You keep asking me these questions like I'm gonna answer them." The vampire didn't bother turning to face them.

"Why won't you?"

"That's another one."

Louise let out a loud and frustrating sigh with a roll of her eyes. "Jheez, you made your point, okay? We're not going anywhere so the least you could do is let us know why you kidnapped us in the first place." She was bit in the mood for the back and forth between her sister and the vampire.

"_I_ personally want nothing," Their kidnapper said as she walked away from boarding up the window. "I'm just a delivery service."

"Delivery to who? Elijah?" When Rose confirmed this, Elena pressed. "Who is he? Is he a vampire?"

"He's one of _the_ vampires, the originals." Louise frowned at her words, her eyes flickering towards her twin who looked just as dumbstruck as she felt. The vampire spoke the word as if it was a title, a noun. An Original vampire? "Haven't the Salvatores been teaching you guys your vampire history?"

At the mention of Salvatore's brothers, Louise's ears perked up and she raised a brow. Despite Damon's assertions that being a vampire wasn't some sort of club, a lot of them did seem to be connected in some way or another. "Wait, you know Stefan and Damon?"

"I know _of_ them." The vampire corrected. "A hundred years back, a friend of mine tried to set me up with Stefan. She said he was one of the good ones. I'm more of a sucker for the bad boys though," She looked at Louise with interest as she added. "Something it seems we have in common." Louise ignored the last part.

The seer stepped forward. "So, who are the originals?"

"Trevor and I have been running for 500 years. We're tired, we want it over. We're using you to negotiate ourselves out of an old mess."

"But why _us_?" Elena demanded, hoping for a straight answer.

"Because you're a Petrova Doppelgänger." She pointed to Elena and then towards Louise. "And you're a seer. You both are the keys to breaking the curse."

Louise's brows furrowed. There was only one curse that she was aware of and had no idea how they both applied to it. "The sun and the moon curse?" She took a glance towards her sister before she returned her gaze to their captor. "What do you mean we're the keys? The moonstone is what breaks the curse."

"No, the moonstone is what binds the curse." She corrected her with the slightest shake of her head. "The _sacrifice_ is what breaks it."

"The sacrifice?" Elena asked, glancing at her wide eyed twin.

"The blood of the doppelgänger and the blood of a seer. You're the doppelgänger and you're the seer. Which means, in order to break the curse you're the ones who have to die." At that confession, the colour drained from Elena's face and Louise stared, shocked. The seer's mouth open to speak but nothing came out. A lot of her mind wanted to scream out that this couldn't be true, but by now she had seen far to much not to at least consider all the possibilities. Elena staggered backwards in ultimate shock.

Louise sank back into a chair nearby chair as she thought. "Listen, uh-?"

"Rose," The woman replied, finally supplying them with a name.

"You might as well tell us more."

"Captivity has made her pushy, eh?" Trevor entered the room suddenly, carrying a large painting in his hands. "What do you want to know?" He winked at the seer before he placed the painting on the window, hissing when the sunlight burned his fingers for a mere second.

"Who were you running from?" Louise inquired.

"The originals." The male vampire answered.

Louise shook her head, brushing off the answer. "So we've been told but what does that mean?"

"The first family, the old world. Rose and I pissed them off." Trevor's explanation was halted by Rose's sudden sharp intake of breath followed by an icy glare. "Correction, I pissed them off, Rose had my back and for over half a millennium, they wanted us dead."

This time it was Elena's turn to ask a question. "What did you do?"

"He made the same mistake countless others did: he trusted Katerina and Viviana Petrova." Rose bitterly drawled out.

"Katherine and Vivienne?" Elena gasped out.

Rose nodded. "The first Petrova Doppelgängers."

"I helped them escape their fate and now I've, sorry, we've been marked ever since." Trevor said.

"Which is why we're not gonna make the same mistake again." Rose clarified. Both vampires turned to face Louise and Elena as they eyed them with caution.

* * *

Silence had fallen in the room, Trevor had left the room leaving the Gilbert girls with Rose. Louise lounged on the couch next to Elena as she watched her captor closely. Rose stuck to the shadows and didn't have a daylight ring: she also glanced over her shoulder every now and then, probably at noises the human ears couldn't pick up but nonetheless the vampire seemed nervous. Elena suddenly elbowed Louise, shoving a creased piece of paper in her hand. With furrowed brows, her eyes scanned the black printed words.

_Stefan and Damon are coming for you. -B_

Like Elena, her eyes brightened and relief flooded through her body as she clung to the paper like a life raft. Suddenly a frantic Trevor barged into the room to confront Rose.

"He's here! This was a mistake." His voice trembled with fear and regret and he looked absolutely terrified.

"No, I told you I would get us out of this. You have to trust me." Rose calmly told him and for the first time since their captivity, Louise noticed Rose's harsh eyes soften. However, Trevor didn't share his friends confidence.

"No! He wants me dead, Rose!" Trevor exclaimed, the anguish marinated his expression.

"He wants them more." Rose reminded him, nodding in the twins direction.

"I can't do this. You give her to him, he'll have mercy on you but I need to get out of here!"

"Hey! What are we?" Rose asked, grabbing Trevor's arm and fixing him with a stern look. He swallowed but seemed to calm down a little, though he also seemed resigned.

"We're family, forever." Trevor replied quietly. Elena watched the exchange alongside Louise, her expression one of complete and utter pity. There was a calm moment before there was there loud knocks on the door. The two vampires' heads turned towards the sound, though both were completely frozen otherwise. Fear and surprise morphed their features.

"You're scared." Elena observed obviously. They turned to the two brunette's direction and stayed silent. Louise swallowed as her and Elena turned to look at each other. This wasn't good. If these two very old vampires were scared, then what should their reaction be?

Choosing to ignore Elena's comment, Rose stared directly into Trevor's eyes. "Stay here with them and don't make a sound." The female vampire exited the room and moved towards the door. She took in a deep breath as she prepared to open the door.

"Rose-Marie." The original greeted from the other side of the door. "Is there somewhere we can talk?

"Yes, in here. You have to forgive the house." Rose asked softly, trying to hide the fright in her voice. It has been five hundred years since she last saw Elijah, she remembered how furious she and Trevor made him, but she couldn't betray Trevor. He was her only family, he saved her from death.

"Oh, no, what's a little dirt?" Elijah joked as he sauntered into the room and strode over to the fireplace, eyes darting around as if he was in search for something. "I completely understand. So tell me, what is it that gives you the courage to call me?" He had his back to her.

"I wanted my freedom. I'm tired of running. You in a position to grant me that?" Rose asked as she watched the original observe the old house. She knew Elijah was the kind of man who didn't like to play games, being straightforward was her only choice.

"I have complete authority to grant pardon to you and your little pet." he responded sarcastically but also kept the seriousness in his voice. No one would believe that Rose was supposedly Trevor's side kick, the man had no common sense, without Rose he would be a lost puppy. "What is his name these days? Trevor. If I so see fit." Elijah gave the younger vampire a warning that his forgiveness would not be free, she would have to prove it that she was trustworthy.

"Katerina and Viviana Petrova." Rose knew instantly she earned Elijah's full attention when he finally turned to face her.

"I'm listening." he stated and took a seat in a nearby chair, crossing his legs.

"They didn't burn in the church in 1864." Speaking about them made her stomach turn. Rose walked slightly closer to the original and he nodded for her to continue. "They survived."

"Where are they?" Elijah questioned calmly, he didn't seem shocked at the news he was just informed with.

Rose shot him a puzzled look. "You don't seem surprised by this."

"Oh, when you called and invited me into this armpit of civilization, which is a mere three hours from the town we know as Mystic Falls, I surmised it had everything to do with the Petrovas." he stated. "Do you have her in your possession?" he asked softly, not wanting to sound too eager, the last thing he wanted was for Rose to negotiate with him.

"No, but I have better. I have their doppelgängers."

Elijah rolled his eyes slightly. "That's impossible, their family line ended with Viviana. I know that for fact."

"The facts are wrong." Rose replied, obviously growing annoyed but she knew she had to keep him calm. This original has the ability to slice her head off with a click of his fingers.

Elijah smirked, uncrossing his legs. He was indeed very intrigued. "Well, show them to me."

"Elijah, you are a man of honor, you should be trusted but I want to hear you say it again." she said walking closer to Elijah. She didn't want to risk anything, this was her only chance. If he don't give her his word, there was no way she'll leave this house alive. That was the funny thing about Elijah, he was moral and honourable man, but at the same time he was merciless.

"You have my word that I will pardon you." He promised and he shall keep his word.

Those words brought relief within Rose. Finally, she can sleep without worrying anyone will see her or Trevor and report back to Elijah then off with their heads. "Follow me." she said wasting no time she led Elijah to the room where Louise and Elena were. She could already hear their panic voices.

"Louise, what do we do?" Elena exclaimed to her sister. She was scared, there was no denying that. All of them were, even Trevor was scared. Who could blame them really, they were about to meet a very powerful vampire, one of the first vampires.

Despite the situation, Louise tried her hardest to hide her fright. "I don't know." She gulped hearing footsteps coming closer. "We're both gonna die." she said simply, as if it was the most normal thing to happen to one's life. When the sound of footsteps stopped, Elena immediately slide up beside Louise, latching onto her arm and Louise turned her head , her breath hitched as she saw the original before her.

The man was, without a doubt, one of the most handsome men she had ever seen in her seventeen years of existence. He had short brown hair that swept back from his forehead and hazel brown eyes with a prominent jaw line. His body was clad in a black elegant tailored suit. This was Elijah - a very powerful and feared original.

Louise spared a brief glance to her sister who stared at the male in equal awe and shock. The younger girl turned her attention back to the original. He wore a slightly amused expression on his face however that completely changed when he saw the Gilbert twins. Elijah moved across the room in a blink of an eyes and he now stood only inches away from them. This startled Elena, she gasped, her hand leaving Louise's arm as she took a single step back in shock.

Louise's lips trembled for a moment as he bowed his head near her neck and she thought he was about to kiss her but all she felt was the tip of his nose near her jaw. She clenched her eyes shut when she felt his breath on her throat and Elijah inhaled her scent.

The original pulled away, his eyes wide in awe as he looked between Louise and Elena once more. "You're both human. It's impossible." The two brunettes just stared at the man without a word. "We have a long journey head of us. We should be going." He spoke in a strangely friendly tone, as if he was asking the girls to take a stroll among the trees with him. Elijah ignored Elena's pleas as he turned to face Rose and Trevor. "One last piece of business and we're done."

"I've waited so long for this day, Elijah. I'm truly, _very_ sorry." Trevor stammered and he shook violently as the original took a few calculated steps towards him.

Elijah shook his head. "Oh no, your apology's not necessary."

"Yes, yes it is." Trevor insisted. "You trusted me with Katerina and Viviana to which I failed you."

"Oh yes, you are the guilty one and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you and that now I honour." Elijah's tone remained casual as he took another step forward. "Where was your loyalty?" he calmly inquired and Trevor licked his lips nervously.

"I beg your forgiveness." Trevor's voice came out in a weak whisper as he avoid Elijah's gaze.

"So granted." Trevor beamed in obvious relief but moment didn't last very long because the next second Elijah raised his hand and smacked him around the face. There wasn't that much of a swing to it but Louise gasped, eyes wide and Elena cried out in shock as Trevor's head came clean off his neck, thumping sickly to the floor across the room. Rose cried out and her emotions seemed to cloud her judgement as she moved to attack the original but his cold voice halted her. "Don't, Rose, now that you are free."

After that display, Louise understood why Rose and Trevor had been so afraid of Elijah. She was also aware that Trevor had been a lot stronger than her, a lot more equipped to survive and yet Elijah had killed him with barely a gesture of effort. How could she, a lowly human, get her and her sister out of this situation in one piece?

"Come." Elijah ordered, gesturing to the Gilbert sisters.

"No." Louise refused bravely, clutching at straws. "What about the moonstone?" She could tell that he was surprised that she brought it up, though he smoothed his expression over immediately.

"What do you know about the moonstone?" Elijah questioned, his eyes narrowing.

"Louise, don't." Elena warned.

Louise ignored her sister's warning. "I know that you need it and I know where it is."

"Yes?"

"I can help you get it."

"Tell me where it is." Elijah insisted in a stern, no-nonsense voice and the seer shook her head.

"It doesn't work that way. You let us go and I will tell you." Louise bargained.

Elijah chuckled at her naivety. "Are you negotiating with me?"

"Call it what you will." Louise stuck her chin out and stood her ground.

The original turned back to the female vampire for an explanation and Rose spoke through gritted teeth. "It's the first I've heard of it."

Elijah turned back towards Louise. She saw his pupils dilate and realised what he was about to do - or try to do, anyway. He couldn't compel her. The original vampire sniffed and spotted the necklace that Stefan had given her all those months ago.

"What is this vervain doing around your neck?" he asked softly, before he yanked it from her neck and tossed it to the side. Before the brunette could react, he grabbed her by the head, forcing her to look at him as he compelled her: "Tell me where the moonstone is."

Louise didn't want to. She knew in her mind that she didn't want to lose that leverage but she had no choice. She answered robotically: "In the tomb, underneath the church ruins."

"What is it doing there?"

"It's with Katherine and Vivienne." Elena could only watch as Louise relayed everything to him in her compelled state.

"Interesting." He released the seer from his hold. Louise had no idea why that particular part of the story was interest. The sound of breaking glass shattered Elijah's apparent reverie. Everyone looked up at the ceiling where the sound had come from. "What is that?"

Rose shook her head. "I don't know."

"Who else is in this house?"

"I don't know." Rose repeated honestly.

Elijah gritted his teeth together in frustration as he grabbed hold of Elena and Louise arms and hauled them towards the front door of the abandoned house, Rose close behind them. The fast movement of the intruders created a gust of wind. The original seemed prepared to fight as he practically tossed the two brunettes into Rose's arms.

"Rose." Elijah growled in warning. He was in no mood for games.

"I don't know who it is." she promised.

"Up here." A voice called and Elijah sped up the stairs in pursuit of whoever it was.

"Down here." Another voice taunted.

A thin stake pierced through Elijah's hand. Unfazed by it, he pulled it out and turned only to see that Rose, Elena and Louise have disappeared.

"Excuse me. To whom it may concern, you're making a great mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can't. Do you hear that?" He broke the wooden coat rack into a stake. "I repeat, you cannot beat me. So I want the girl, I'm gonna count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?"

"I'll come with you." Elena lied, appearing at the top of the stairs and stared down at the vampire. "Just please don't my friends, they just wanted to help me out." Elena blinked and Elijah was in front of her, having vamp sped up the stairs. He held a stake in his hand.

"What game are you playing with me?" he wondered curiously.

Using her only opportunity, Elena let the pin out of the vervain grenade and let it off in his face. Elijah's face immediately blistered painfully on the impact, but also healed straight away. The brunette had backed up a few steps but the original began to advance on her once again. He doesn't get the chance because Stefan suddenly appeared, shooting him with the compressed air weapon of Alaric's. Elijah hardly seem affected or threatened as he nonchalky moved his way up the stairs, a look of pure annoyance plastered his features. Stefan didn't allow him to make the full journey before he tossed the weapon and tackled the originals.

The two vampires tumbled down the stairs and Elijah is back on his feet immediately, moving towards Stefan who still resided on the floor. Damon came to his brother's rescue, a sadistic glee flooded his veins propped the original up against the wall, ramming the large wooden object deep into his heart.

Elijah's eyes stared into his for a millisecond before they glazed over, now seemingly seeing something in the distance. His head went limp, his neck no longer able to support the weight of it.  
Damon gripped the large stake - hat rack - tighter in his hands. A tiny smirk crept on his face while his eyes remained careful on the original's face.

The sound of shuffling caught his attention, alarmed, Damon's head snapped behind him to find a dumbfounded Rose gaping at him. As if she could not believe what she was seeing. In truth, that was exactly it. He had killed Elijah. Surely, in all her years, she never thought she would see the day. Nonetheless, see the day when of the Salvatore brothers killed Elijah with their own two hands. And now, Damon, the more impulsive and reckless brother, looked at her as if she was target number two. She stepped quickly aside, fleeing the scene.

The blue eyed vampire let go of Elijah about to go after her when a heavenly voice called out to him.

"Just let her go." Louise said softly.

As her eyes rested on the man who saved her life, her breath caught in her throat before it plummeted through her chest and lodged into an aching knot in her stomach. Damon and Louise's locked on each other. His face broke into a hesitant smile and she exhaled once, thoroughly convinced that Damon's alright and she half smiled out of relief.

Without thinking she rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around him and his own automatically rose, wrapping around her. A sigh of relief escaped him as he felt the weight of her body pressed against his own. A smile full of pure joy overtook her. Chocolate brown hues filled with admiration as she looked up at him.

"I'm glad you're here." The brunette confessed. Words laced with nothing but extreme relief. Her eyes trailed down to his lips and unknowingly, Damon done the same. They both moved in closer.

"Louise." Elena called and the two instantly broke apart. Louise awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, avoiding Elena and Stefan's gaze. "Let's go home." she suggested quietly.

"Wait! My necklace!" Louise's hand rose to her bare chest before ran to the other room, Damon, Stefan and Elena followed. The seer was frantically searching the room. "It has to be here!" she exclaimed.

"I can get you more vervain back at the house. We should go." Stefan said.

Louise let out a tired sigh and pressed her lips into a thin line before she followed Stefan and Elena out the room. Damon began to follow when he noticed a glint of metal under a pile of rubble. He bent down for a closer look. Louise's necklace. Gingerly, he picked it up by the chain. He stared at the pendant dangling from his fingers. How easily he could get rid of it and no one would now.

"Are you coming, Damon?" Stefan yelled from the other room.

"Yeah, be right there." Damon stuffed the necklace into his jean pocket, wincing as he felt the vervain burning his skin through the thin material.

For the first half hour of the car ride home, no one spoke. Louise leant her head against the car window as she sat in passenger seat beside Damon whilst Elena was in the back with Stefan's arms around her. As Elena explained to the Salvatore brothers about the sacrifice, Louise threw a glance at Damon's position in the driver's seat. She smiled to herself and hoped that he doesn't notice. But, he's Damon, and she's guaranteed that he will.

* * *

After the eventful day she had, Louise stood in her bathroom, having just finished blow-drying her hair and was now running a brush through it. She looked at herself in the mirror. All of the day's events was stuck in her mind and body. The shower helped a little but not nearly enough. Right now all she wanted to do was just curl up and let herself go. She opened her bathroom door and stepped into her room.

Her breath caught when she saw Damon sat at her window post, he was fidgeting with a shiny object in his hand. She would have been a little creeped out but she was use to him coming and going whenever it pleased him. He looked up when he heard her come in and it made him regret what he was about to do. His eyes travelled over her body. Louise in a pale pink tank top with a pair of matching pink striped short shorts.

"Cute PJ's." he opened with his trademark smirk and he let his eyes wander down her appearance and up again.

"I'm tired, Damon." Louise replied. It was true and she hoped he would catch her drift. She was feeling a little lightheaded and fuzzy too.

"I brought you this." Damon said. He held up his hand dangling from it was her necklace.

"I thought that was gone." she said and he shook his head. Relief washed over her. "Thank you." Her hand reached out to grab it but he pulled it out her reach. She looked at him questioningly. "Damon, you're not funny-"

"I'm not trying to be." He dropped his hand and tucked the necklace in his pocket. "I just have to say something."

"Why do you have to say it with my necklace?" Louise asked suspiciously.

"Well," He searched for a response as he stepped closer, closing the distance between them. "Because what I'm about to say is probably the most selfish thing I have ever said in my life." The brunette frowned at his vague answer.

"I don't understand."

"I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it." Damon said. Louise nodded and he swallowed before he continued. His blue eyes glued to hers and her chocolate brown ones glued to his.

"I love you, Louise." Damon told her with a small smile on his lips. She drew in a breath. Neither of them said anything they just continued to stare at each other. Louise's mouth hung open slightly as if she was going to speak but nothing came out. She wasn't expecting him to say that. That simple statement, those four small words that had rendered her speechless.

"And it's because I love you that I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this." His voice had thickened. Damon could tell that Louise was hanging on to his every word. It was like she couldn't move as if she was grounded there. She was utterly speechless. He was baring his heart for the first time in the purest form possible. "You're too good for me. Too good in every way. I don't deserve you but someone else does. " This wasn't a selfish act, it was probably the most selfless she'd ever seen him. The brunette frowned and shook her head.

"Don't say that." Louise whispered. The vampire closed his eyes as leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"God, I wish you didn't have to forget this," He reached to cup her cheek, his eyes memorising the details of her face. Louise stared up at him with a puzzled look, seeing his eyes watering. What was he talking about? Realisation struck her. He was about to compel her - take away what he just told her. She wanted to speak, protest but the words wouldn't come out. "But you do." he finished and a single tear rolled down his cheek.

Panic. Think of something fast.

"No," she said harshly aware she spoke aloud. "I won't let you do this."

Suddenly her strong little hands were fisting in his shirt, tugging him down to her level. She crushed her lips against his, nearly missing the target in a her desperate attempt to display her passion. It was done to distract but also to show him how she really felt about him. Damon instantly tensed but the softness of her lips reminded him of the reality that she kissed him. Her hand found their way around his neck and his hand snaked around her waist, pulling her against him as their kiss deepened. Louise was the one to break the kiss just so she could look up at him.

"You can't make me forget." She grinned like a Cheshire cat, eerie and fascinating and altogether so beautiful that his heart would stop if he had one. "Because," She breathed, almost giddy with the weight of her words. "I love you, Damon." There she said it.

The vampire stared down at the seer, her words were a surprise to him. Had Louise Gilbert just said that to him, did she admit she loved him. He shook his head, certain she's messing with him or something. He can't believe those words; he just can't. He hasn't heard them in so long. And besides, this is Louise saying them.

But all she does is nod. Nod and keep talking.

"I love you." She repeated. And it's heaven he's never believed in until now. There's not a trace of hesitation in her voice. There is no regret in her eyes. There is only the pure certainty that she, Louise Gilbert, loves him, Damon Salvatore. His shoulders fell, slumped forward from his once tense posture and a ghost smile creeped at the corners of his lips.

"Louise," Damon breathed.

"I'm not done." She placed her hand firmly on his chest, stopping him from speaking or attempting to compel her. "Don't put me on a pedestal and think you don't deserve me because you do. You are good, Damon. It is in you, at least when it comes to me it is. I didn't miss all the things you did and they didn't mean nothing, they meant _everything_. In a lot of ways, you are good for me, Damon. You get me lighten up when I need to. I can have fun and relax around you." She told him with a smile. "And you really can't deny that I am good for you."

"I thought I was the cocky one."

"Don't let me forget that you love me."

Damon cut their eye contact when he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, as if he wanted to take in every sensation the moment had to offer. A smile flashed across his face, gone so quickly that she wondered if she imagined seeing it but her heart gave an odd little skip all the same.

Her hand that was still placed on his firm chest started to unbutton his shirt, one slow button at a time, placing an open-mouthed, wet kiss to every bit of skin that was bared to her. She was getting in the mood when Damon suddenly stilled. He opened his eyes and she could tell from the iron set of his jaw that he was struggling with something.

Her heart plummeted when he said, "Wait. Brief pause." He put two fingers under her chin and titled her face up. "Louise, are you sure about this?"

Louise wanted him to understand how much this meant to her, and her voice sounded husky as she replied. "Yes. I'm sure." Her eyes fell to his shirt, already partway undone and she walked her fingers down the part of his chest that she'd already uncovered. Then she forced her eyes back up. "I want you, Damon." She pressed her body flush against his and gripped the lapels of his shirt tightly. "What I do want - more than anything - is to make love to you."

He drew her against him, firmly wrapping one arm around her waist. His other hand enmeshed itself in her hair, tilting her head at the perfect angle for kissing. She melted against him with a tiny sound of satisfaction.

His mouth captured her lips in a searing hot kiss that held nothing back. It was shockingly carnal, but surprisingly intimate at the same time. She didn't care that his lips were bruising hers because he was kissing her with the same intensity that he did everything else, leaving her utterly breathless. Gone was the dreamy, slow exploration from before; now there was just urgency and overwhelming, burning need.

Suddenly, nothing was more necessary to her than the feeling of his body under her hands, preferably with no clothes to sperate them. She still clutched the lapels of his shirt, so she ripped it the rest of the way open, sending the buttons flying before she shoved it off his shoulders. Damon shrugged out of it without breaking their kiss. Unhindered by textile, her hands feverishly roamed his bare chest.

Damon's mouth moved away from her lips and she let her head fall back to give him better access to her very vulnerable throat without a second thought. He kissed his way down, his mouth unexpectedly hot. His thumbs brushed the side of her breasts through the thin material of her top.

He drew a fiery trail across her flesh and her breathing turned shallow and erratic. Her fingers fumbled clumsily with his belt buckle and she slowly started backing away towards the bed, pulling him along with her.

Damon chuckled softly and he murmured. "A little impatient, are we?"

"Yes!" She ran the tip of her tongue over her lips and the look he gave her in response burned a hole right through her, all the way to her soul.

The vampire hooked a hand into the flimsy material of her top and just tore it down the front. The ripped fabric fell away, baring her to his heated gaze. With a throaty growl, he picked her up as if she weighed nothing more than a feather and tossed her into the bed. She landed with a little bounce and it made her giggle.

He stood at the edge of the bed, looking down at her with hooded eyes, memorising every outline, every groove and every muscle of her body. Her breath was rasping through her throat as if she'd ran a mile and he wasn't even touching her.

_How could he affect me like this?_ she thought.

The seer reached out for him, wordlessly begging for him to join her. Before she could blink, his weight was pushing her down into the mattress but she welcomed it eagerly, wrapping her arms around his lean waist. His hands cradled her head and his lips found hers and then he was kissing her as if he wanted to kiss all the breath out of her body. The emotion she felt in each and every one of his moves made her want to cry. His tongue kept stroking hers as if he was making love to it, and she respoded greedily, arching her body into his, craving the sensation of skin to skin.

* * *

**A/N**

**I really hope the wait for this chapter wasn't too long! Because of the very long wait, chapter 9 will be up straight after this one!**

**Soooo...Damon and Louise finally had their love declaration! And Elijah finally made an appearance, I'm so excited for the rest of the originals to come along.**

**Thank you to Wordspin, Machala, Guest and Alliax for your reviews. ****Please continue to; review, alert, fav.** **And as always you can check out my tumblr 'tangleddiaries' to see edits and sneak peaks to chapters.**


	9. Katerina & Viviana

**Katerina & Viviana**

* * *

**Bulgaria 1490**

_A woman's loud agonising scream filled the warmed up room from the flames of the dying fire. Rumours had been spreading around town like wildfire that the eldest daughter of the Petrova family had fallen pregnant out of wedlock; which the rumours were indeed true. Katerina Petrova was now giving birth to a bastard. That word made, Mr Petrov blood boil as he stood in the hallway, leant against the doorframe with his arms crossed as he heard his daughter's screams._

_Viviana, the youngest twin of Katerina, stood by the bed, gripping her sister's hand as yet another of her screams pierced through the chilling night as she pushed through the pain of childbirth. The door was wide open and servants constantly came in and out, bowls of hot water, sheets and towels._

_"Katerina, push! You can do it!" Viviana exclaimed in the language of their country, Bulgaria. She alternated between dabbing Katerina's head with a wet, cold cloth and massaging her swollen stomach._

_"A little more dearest...a little more." Their mother instructed from her place at the end of the bed. Katerina pushed as hard as she could, letting out another cry in the process. "Push...a little more." Her mother urged her daughter._

_Katherine let out a loud, pain-filled scream, squeezing her sister's hand till her knuckles turned white and furiously grabbing the sheet around her as she leant in, pushing even harder. When the baby's cries filled the air, Viviana sighed in relief and the new mother collapsed back onto the pillows trying to catch her breath. A bright smiled appeared on Mrs Pertova as she looked down at the tiny baby in her arms, covering her with some towels._

_"It's a girl." she said, holding the baby up. Viviana smiled and rubbed her sister's shoulder encouragingly._

_"A girl." Katherine whispered weakly as a smile pulled at the corner of her lips. Her gaze met her sisters who was grinning along with her before she looked back to her mother. "Please, mother. Let me see her." she begged as she stretched out a shaky hand. Their mother got up, moving towards Katerina, began to slowly set the baby in her arms till her husband's voice ran throughout the room._

_"Woman don't!" The man hissed, stepping forward. "What are you doing?" he demanded and she bowed her head, looking ashamed._

_Katherine shook her head furiously as she watched as her daughter be placed in her father's arms. He was going to take her away; she would never see her daughter again. She struggled to sit up and tried to crawl out of bed, ignoring her sore body and how ripped it felt after labour._

_ "Let me hold at least once." she begged. "Just once. At least once." she pleaded with her father, holding her hand out._

_"Father please!" Viviana begged on her sister's behalf._

_"Forget it! You and Katerina have disgraced this family!" her father shouted before carrying the baby out the door._

_"Father, please!" Katerina cried out. Viviana held her back as their mother ran forward and held her._

_"No, Katerina. It's better for her." But Katerina wasn't listening to her as she wailed the loss of her child._

_"No, mother, please."_

_"Let her go...let her go, Katerina." the mother urged her daughter._

_Vivienne climbed on the bed and hugged her sister from behind. "It's will be all right, Katerina." Katherine shoved their mother away from her and turned to embrace her sister._

_"Please, Viviana. I want to see her." she sobbed into her shoulder._

_"I know, Katerina. I know." Viviana murmured, rubbing her back soothingly._

* * *

The following morning, Louise's eyes fluttered open slowly as beams of light slipped through the crack in her curtains. She yawned and closed her eyes snuggling deeper into her pillow not yet ready to wake up fully. Her eyes fluttered back open to the realisation she was naked and there was a hand casually draped over her breast, holding it as if it belong to him.

Events from last night came rushing back. Damon Salvatore declaring her love for her and her saying it back then followed by the best sex in her life. She couldn't help it as a tiny smile crept on her face. She couldn't deny it felt good to wake up to his naked body pressed to hers. She felt a little laugh building at the fact that Damon spooned. She'd have to file that away for mocking later it he ever teased her. As she shook in silent laughter, she felt him stir behind her.

Louise rolled over to face him, resting on her side as she stared at him. Studying and committing each curve and depression into her mind, willing her mind to never forget his face, to never take his love for granted because she know this type of love is a rare gem, a one in a million. She can't help but feel like she's the luckiest woman to ever live on earth.

Her eyes gladly devour his features, from his messed up hair to the slight stubble of his jaw and the delicate curve of his nose. The part that she love most about him physically, his eyes are closed with the tiniest movement under the lids. Her hand moved without conscious though and started cradling his jaw, effectively rubbing her thumb over the same spot with the love that swells her.

With that simple touch, she found azure eyes penetrating the depth of her soul, staring at her. Damon, even though he just woke up, looked at her as if he had been staring at her the whole day. With every part of his mind taking in the sight of her; the reality of her. She stared right back at him.

The brunette doesn't know how long it lasts, a few seconds, minutes or hours but all she knew was that it was what they both were. That was them. Two people who stare into each other's eyes and convey their thoughts and feelings through simple eye contact. It had taken her so long to actually see that they had been doing it all along.

The penetrating gaze that looked in her soul gradually gave way a smile. Louise noticed that his eyes smiles before his mouth.

"Is this a dream?" He rested his head into the palm of his hand as he propped his elbow onto the pillow. And with that their soul gazing moment was over.

"Do you want it to be?"

"No." Damon pulled her closer, enclosing her in his warmth despite his status as the undead. Her arms snaked around his back and she found herself safe and secure. After a moment, he pulled away just enough to gaze into her chocolate brown eyes, bringing them into one of their moments again. With a slender, digit he pushed a lock of hair off her face and just stared at her. He stared at her intently, anxiously searching her face for any signs of regret about last night. There were none that he could see but he couldn't help himself.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

Damon hesitated. He cursed himself for being suddenly so insecure but that was just what she did to him sometimes. He lifted one shoulder in a noncommittal shrug. "No regrets?"

Louise raised a hand to rub at the frown between his eyebrows, trying to smooth it out. Then she shook her head. "No, Damon, no regrets."

Damon could have sworn his unbeating heart skipped a beat in relied. "I love you."

Her cheeks flushed even more and she bowed her head, letting her hair screen her face. Louise bit her lip before looking back up at Damon. "I love you too." She paused for a moment and her face became serious as she added. "I don't know or even sure when I started loving you - you crept up on me. I was never suppose to fall in love with you, but I couldn't stop and that scared me. I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner. I just...I...I didn't say because I wasn't sure I even wanted the possibility for you to be my happily ever after."

"I'm not, Louise. I'll never be fairy tale material."

"No, you're not." Louise agreed smiling at him. "But, you and me, we're epic - born centuries apart, hunted down by manipulative villains that put wicked stepmothers to shame and shrouded in mystery and a tangle of deceit."

"You think we're good enough to inspire a trilogy?" Damon smirked.

"And prequels and spinoffs." Louise replied softly. Damon shook his head, unable to wipe the grin that was spreading ridiculously wide on his face. Louise smiled as a sense of calm descended on her. She ran her fingertips over his lips. "Don't lose that smile."

* * *

Damon had concluded they were dating, publicly, officially, truly, whatever, they were together. It was almost foreign to Louise for Damon to be so affectionate; holding her hand or giving her little pecks on the cheek whenever he felt like it. She's never seen the Salvatore so happy. As they waited outside the boarding house, the brunette giggled when Damon gently pressed a kiss on the back of her hand which he held tightly in grasp.

The big oak door was pulled open and other side stood both wide eyed Stefan and Elena at their siblings hand in hand. Damon stood cool as a cucumber and Louise cleared her throat awkwardly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"So, erm, what's the emergency?" Louise asked. "You called and said it was important." The younger Salvatore wordlessly ushered everyone inside while Elena still looked at her sister for an explanation of what she just witnessed moments ago. "What the hell are you doing here?" Louise hissed at the figure down the hall. When Stefan asked or Louise's presence this morning, the last thing she expected to see was Rose.

Their ex captor gave a tentative smile before leading the way into the living room. Elena and Louise both sat down on the couch and waited expectantly.

"Okay, you have to understand I only know what I've picked up over the years and I don't know what's true and what's not true. It's the problem with all this vampire crap." Rose explained as he paced up and down the carpeted floor in front of the unlit fireplace. "But Klaus, I know he's real."

Elena furrowed her brows. "Who is he?"

"He's one of the originals, he's a legend." Damon answered from his spot behind the couch.

"From the first generation of vampires." Stefan added to clarify his brother's statement.

"An original like Elijah?" Louise inquired.

"No." Rose shook her head. "Elijah was the Easter bunny compared to Klaus. He's a foot soldier. Klaus is the real deal."

Stefan nodded in agreement as he added. "Klaus is known to be the oldest."

"Okay, so you're saying that the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after us?" Elena raised an eyebrow sceptically. It seemed completely absurd, which is what it seem all too believable.

"Yes." Rose chimed in with a nod just as Stefan shook his head and responded. "No."

Damon stammered. "What they're saying is, I mean if what she's saying is true-"

"Which it is." Rose cut him off.

As they debated Rose's honesty, Louise's mind kept drifting back to the Pierce sisters. Stefan and Damon might not believe that Klaus was coming after her and Elena but something had to have scared Vivienne and Katherine into running all their lives and Louise couldn't imagine her ancestors being afraid of anything. So whatever it was, or whoever it was, had to be the worst imaginable. Klaus, horrible, seemed to match that description. Which, of course, made Rose's story make an awful kind of sense.

"Look, Elijah's dead, right?" Stefan thought out loud, he looked towards the twins. "So no one else even knows that you guys exist."

"Not that you know of." Rose added and the eldest Salvatore shot her a glare.

"That's not helping." Damon scowled the female vampire.

"Look, I've never even met anyone who's laid eyes on him." Stefan tried to reason. All the talk of Klaus felt a little like debating the existence of Santa Claus. "I mean, we're talking centuries of truth mixed with fiction. We don't know if he's real. For all we know he could just be some sort of stupid bed time story."

"He's real." Rose stated firmly and crossed her arms. "And he doesn't give up. If he wants something, he gets it. If you're not afraid of Klaus, then you're an idiot."

Damon rolled his eyes at her dramatic statement and did a mock shiver. "Alright, we're shaking. You made your point."

* * *

"What, wait! Are you freaking crazy?!" Caroline was never one to be quiet, even when she was speaking with her indoor voice but whenever she screamed it amplified to a deaf bringing volume.

Louise put the two bottles of blood that Caroline had provided into a bag. "No, I'm not crazy, Caroline. I'm doing this."

"Just FYI, that's what makes you crazy." The blonde informed her, placing both hands on her hips.

"You know, you could support me." Doe eyes raising to meet Caroline's light orbs. "That's what best friends are suppose to do."

Caroline stopped standing like a warrior and she let her hands fall to her sides with a sigh. "Louise, you now I love you, which is why you'll take my advice and not do this."

"But how else am I suppose to learn about Klaus?" Louise questioned rhetorically. "Vivienne and Katherine have all the answers and interrogating them is the only way to get said answers. Besides, they're stuck in the tomb. I'll be fine."

"Open a history book! Google is your friend! Don't go and interrogate two psychotic vampires! " Louise watched the blonde, throw her hands in the air as she storm back and forth across the floor almost as if she was going to put a hole in it. Caroline stopped abruptly, turning to face the seer and allowed her expression to soften until it looked almost like an infant. "Please, as your friend, I'm asking you not to do this. I don't like it."

The brunette shook her head. "Caroline. You're not going to find any of this on google. And I did open a history book but it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know."

"Vivienne _killed_ me, Louise." Caroline reminded her. "I'd rather you didn't see her at all! But if you _absolutely_ must then I'll come with you however I want it noted that I think this is a terrible idea and I'm totally against it."

"It has been noted that you think this is a terrible idea and that you're against it but I'm still doing it, Care. I need answers. It won't take longer than a few hours."

Half an hour later, Caroline and Louise were trudging through the dirt ground of the back forest of the graveyard with Elena who carried the bag her sister had packed earlier. The eldest Gilbert turned to the vampire as she spoke. "Tell everyone I wasn't feeling well and I went home from school."

"Yeah, I guess you could say the same for me, or just you haven't seen me all day." Louise shrugged lightly. Caroline frowned.

"I can't believe I'm agreeing to this." Caroline moaned, shaking her head. "I'm a terrible liar."

"You'll be fine." Louise assured her, sneaking a glance to the blonde. "I thought you liked acting."

"Yeah...but that's different." Caroline complained. "Okay, so then why don't we run this by Stefan and Damon first?"

That made Louise and Elena pause but only for a moment. They looked at each other uncertainly before turning back to Caroline. Elena hesitated before responding. "Uh, no. Just keep Stefan busy - I don't want him to know what I'm up to and neither of us really want Damon involved. You know what his response would be."

Caroline snorted. "Um, yeah, Damon would go ballistic."

And Damon most certainly would go ballistic. It's bad enough that Louise could potentially be in danger due to something out of anyone's control but for her to get involved in..? It would be pretty safe to say Damon's answer would be 'hell no'.

"Exactly." Louise agreed. "So, we do this without the Salvatores input."

The vampire groaned. "I don't know if I can do this - I'm even worse at duplicity and you know this."

"You managed to keep me occupied when Katherine paid Stefan a visit." Elena pointed out.

"Yeah, because she threatened me." The blonde paused. "Not that I'm saying that you should use that as a tactic, it's-" Caroline grabbed Elena's arm just at the front of the tomb opening. Louise halted too, looking back at the pair. "Stefan's gonna see right through me."

"Caroline, as our friend, do you promise or not?" Elena asked, using the only thing that she knew Caroline would commit to.

Caroline turned her cheek and groaned out loud. "You had to break out the girlfriend code." After a few moment, she turned back to face Elena with a sigh. "Okay. I promise." Elena nodded with a small smile. "Why don't you want Stefan to know?"

Elena rolled her eyes in frustration. "Because he would never be okay with me doing this."

"And what if Damon asks?"

Louise pursed her lips slightly. "Just avoid him - shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

"True." Caroline agreed.

A smile small spread on the eldest Gilbert's face as she muttered. "Besides he should be Mr Happy after what you two did last night, right?"

"What?!" Caroline exclaimed, turning to look at Louise, mouth ajar and wide eyed. "You and Damon? What? How?"

"I'll explain later." Louise replied, her cheeks flushing. The brunette's answer seemed to have pleased Caroline to an extent as the trio descended down the stairs of the church ruins.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Caroline asked for the umpteenth time, as they looked at the huge stone door.

"Yes, we're sure." Elena stated firmly.

"I told you, Care, they're the only one who knows the truth about Klaus." Louise reminded her. "The only ones who can tell me how to stop him." Of course there was flaws in the plan, like the fact both Vivienne and Katherine avoided the truth like it was a plague. But the Gilbert girls had the advantage over them while they were locked in the tomb.

"But you're asking for the truth from two people who are probably never giving it." Caroline's eyes bounced between both brunette as they set with worry. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah." Louise nodded, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "We can't just sit back and wait."

"Caroline, please." Elena pleaded softly almost desperately.

Once the heavy door had been heaved back, Elena called out their names:

"Katherine? Vivienne?" Her voice echoed off the stone walls. She glanced over at Caroline. "We'll be okay from here."

Just as she finished speaking, there was shuffling sound coming from inside the tomb. Louise chewed her bottom lip absentmindedly as her and Elena watched a small, dirty feet emerge first from the darkness as the person shuffled forward. Katherine slumped into the wall with a slam, her usual mischievous eyes were now dull. Close behind her was Vivienne, edging forward before she stopped at the invisible barrier that served as Louise and Elena's only protection. Her face is pale and gaunt, her eyes sunken and she looked disturbingly close to a corpse especially when she smiled in a way that looked almost like a grimace.

"Hello, girls." Vivienne's voice came out raspy.

"You've really let yourselves go." Louise commented. Caroline snickered which only earned a glare from Vivienne causing the blonde to shut up immediately, averting her eyes.

"Come to watch us wither away?" Vivienne titled her head slightly.

"We are not sadists." Louise stated.

"Elena." Vivienne's lips curled into a malicious smirk as her eyes flickered towards the older brunette. Even when weak, the vampire still radiated confidence and lethality. "I've been looking forward to meeting you."

This was the first time Elena had stood face to face to her sister's doppelganger. The resemblance was uncanny and creepy. From a picture of her from 1864, nothing compared to seeing her in person. Despite the uncanny resemblance to Louise, Elena could easily identify the difference; Louise's chocolate brown eyes shone with warmth and innocence while Vivienne's were cold and sparkled with mischief and ruthlessness.

Elena stiffened. "If I only the was feeling mutual but it's not."

"Goodbye Caroline." Katherine's eyes dark eyes narrowed the vampire on the blonde vampire. Caroline stood still, arms crossed, hesitant to leave.

"As long as we stay on this side of the door, they can't hurt us." Elena remaindered her. "Please." Caroline looked reluctant between the four brunettes and Vivienne mockingly wiggled her fingers at her. Caroline slowly started to inch away, moving back up to ground level until she was out of sight.

"Stefan know you're here?" Katherine questioned her doppelganger.

Vivienne's eyes' flickered to Louise. "Or better yet, does Damon know you're here?"

Louise crossed her arms across her chest as she ignored her look a like and watched Elena bend down to ruffle through the duffle bag in search for an item.

"We brought you some things." Elena explained, not glancing up from the contents of the bag.

"You came to bribe us?" Katherine questioned suspiciously. "What is it that you want?"

Louise resisted the urge to roll her eyes, scoff meeting the tip of her tongue instead. "Pleasant aren't you?"

"We want you to tell us about Klaus." Elena answered with a clear air of satisfaction. Both vampires certainly look equally surprised to hear that name.

"Hmm, you've been busy." Katherine noted.

"We've also brought you this." Elena produced the worn, dirty book about the Petrova family.

"Your family history - it's fascinating." Louise mused. "I think I read that the family line ended with you guys. Now, _obviousl_y that's not true, considering Elena and I both stood here."

Katherine scoffed, smiling as her eyes roaming across the cover of the heavy book in Elena hands. "You think that if you brought us some family keepsake that we'd open up?"

Elena smiled right back; she was surprised but pleased at her ability to second guess her doppelganger these days. She reached into the bag to pull out a plastic bottle, filled to the brim with o negative Caroline had supplied. "We also brought you a snack."

As predicted both vampires flung themselves at the barrier of the tomb, hitting the spelled wall as they pined after the blood merely a few feet away.

"You guys don't look so good." Elena mocked, eyes moving between the pair. "How long before your bodies shut down? Ten? Twenty years? It must be painful to desiccate and mummify. I can't even imagine." She shook her head, jutting her bottom lip out in a pout.

A low grow of frustration emitted from Vivienne and Katherine let out a sigh as they both slid down the walls and sat opposite each other. Pleased with their cooperation, Elena unscrewed the lid of the full bottle of blood and pour a sufficient amount into two plastic cups. She used a stick to prod the cups across the magical barrier. Vivienne was the first to receive the cup and drank the blood immediately. A little of her colour returned straight away.

"You have the Petrova fire. Both of you." Katherine noted as she pulled the cup to her chapped lips. Elena nor Louise responded as they watched the vampire drain the contents of the cup.

"More blood?" Elena questioned as the girls slid their cups back out to her.

"Now talk." Louise demanded and Vivienne's head rolled back on the stoned wall.

"It's a long story, Klaus and I." Vivienne began as Elena poured more blood. "It goes all the way back since I was sixteen; that's when I started _seeing_ him." Louise gasped, eyes widening and Vivienne rolled her eyes. "Yes, Louise, I was just like you. Anyway, unwillingly, I would see him in my mind...I would see glimpse of his past and future. Being able to see those things, I still knew very little about him, after all he was a man that kept many secrets. Everything changed in 1492, after we left Bulgaria."

"Well I was thrown out...Vivienne followed me." Katherine added.

"Thrown out?" Elena repeated with furrowed brows. She nudged the newly refilled cups towards her ancestors.

"Our family, your true ancestors, they disowned me. My indiscretions were not tolerated at that time." Katherine laughed bitterly. "I had a baby out of wedlock. _The shame._" Heavy sarcasm set in her voice and she widened her eyes, feigning the shock of her family towards the affair.

"It was kept secret?"

"Mhmm." Katherine nodded. "My baby was given away. I was banished to England, Vivienne came with me and we had to learn to adjust. So we quickly became English."

"It was there that I caught the eye of a nobleman named Klaus," Vivienne continued the story and Louise's eyes perked up at the ancient name. This was it. "But I already knew who he was...after all he was the monster, the abomination that haunted my dreams. Katherine was smitten with Elijah. Klaus and I began a relationship despite me knowing what he was till I found out what he wanted from us." Her face clouded over at the bitter memory. "And then we ran like hell."

Louise furrowed her brows. "Which was what? What did Klaus want?"

"The same thing that he'll want from both of you." Katherine answered, dark eyes moving between the brunettes on the other side of the barrier. "He wants to break the curse."

"By sacrificing the both of us?"

Vivienne nodded warily. "He wanted to drain every single drop of blood from mine and Katherine's body."

* * *

**England, 1492**

_Klaus walked in his study to Viviana tears in her eyes, as she held the moonstone in her hand. She knew. The brunette stiffened once she felt his presents, looking up to meet his eyes._

_"My sweet, Viviana-"_

_"I'm not yours." She spat, clutching the moonstone tightly in her hand. "Just a means to an end. It was never real, none of this was. You wormed your way into my heart just to gain my trust," She shook her head. "All along, you were planning mine and my sister's death. I should have none - I should have seen it."_

_In a matter of seconds, he had her pinned against the wall. She struggled against his hold, though it was pointless. More tears sprang to her eyes at the sight of his plump pink lips and glinting teeth, teeth that could tear into her flesh and soak the world red. He held his hand around her throat - he could kill her right there but she knows he wouldn't. He needed her. In frustrations, tears spilled from her eyes as she glared at him._

_"No need to cry, sweetheart," he taunted as he whipped a tear away with his thumb._

_She struggled under him, relenting. He was stronger than her of course but not stronger than her will to escape him. "Let me go!" she demanded._

_"Come on, Viviana. I'm not going to do that and you know it."_

_"I wouldn't be so sure!" she shot back, enraged. "I loved- I love you." Her voice was firm but deep down heartbroken._

_"And I you but it isn't going to change things. It never has and never will."_

_"I know." __Her hand reached up to clasped around his wrist and she sent him into a vision. She sent him into his own past, a horrible day. She felt cruel for sending him to such a dark place but she needed to shock him._

_His grip loosen as his mind was taken over by this vision, the day Mikael had almost beat him to death. Viviana slipped from him, watching him, conflicted, as his face contorted in pain. The brunette chastised herself, keeping a hand around his wrist as his body seemingly, a hollow shell, crumpled to his knees._

_She wasn't sure that she could keep him in the vision for long if she wasn't touching him. But she had to try, she had to find her sister and get away from him. She had never kept anyone in a vision for long without maintain a physical contact. Her eyes found a dagger, she reached for it, cutting his hair from his head and clutching them tight in her palm. She took a few cautious steps back and he didn't move. He stayed there, on the floor, so vulnerable, his visage terrified. Tears slipped from his eyes._

_"I-I'm sorry, Klaus." Viviana whispered, questioning herself. She wasn't happy with this. Even he didn't deserve this, his worst memory revisited as if it was real. She was torn but she choose herself. And Katerina. Their freedom. With one last glance at him she took off. Clutching the piece of him close, like a prayer._

_She ran, her legs carrying her fast down the hall. She rounded a corner, almost slamming into the wall on the other side and tripping on her feet but she ran harder. She had to get to her sister. Once she got to Katerina's room, she grabbed her hand. "We need to leave now! We don't have much time."_

_Katerina's eyes furrowed, eyeing the state of her Viviana clutching strands of blonde hairs in her hand, along with the moonstone. She saw the tears, fear and worry in her sister's brown eyes and immediately understood that look. She had been waiting for Viviana to return with the moonstone so they could leave. And with that the sisters took off._

_As they ran, Viviana could feel herself weakening. She was tied to Klaus now, holding a piece of him, she felt what he felt. His every flinch of fear, anguish, torment, she felt it. Thankfully, none of the physical pain was lasting. She threw memory after memory at him. It took all her strength to keep running but it took even more willpower to make him suffer. The physical tie in her palm was growing weak with distance she needed to touch him to keep him in her vision._

_They were deep in the woods once they stopped. Katerina held her sister as she swayed._

_"Viviana, you're bleeding." Katrina spoke, her voice laced with concern seeing blood trickle down her sister's nose._

_Viviana quickly whipped away the blood from her nose, as she tried to focus on Klaus, wiling the visions to come, her physical tie had now being cut. She saw him, his face, his stern, angry, determined, angelic face. Then there was Elijah along with Trevor. She gasped for air as she broke from the vision, her head racing. They were coming._

_"We must keep going!"_

_And so they did. They ran. The eldest sister fell over a large branch, pulling Viviana down with her. Katerina attempted to get up but her sister held her down as they heard Elijah yelling their names. She placed a hand over her sister's mouth as they hid behind a tree._

_"Katerina! Viviana!" Elijah called. "I know you are here! I can smell you. Know that we will find you and we will catch you! You cannot escape and you cannot run." he taunted. Just then, a familiar voice was heard._

_"This way. There is more blood over there. " Trevor said. The foolish vampire that was in love with Katerina. There was a whooshing sound as the vampires that were hunting the girls rushed pass them. The seer peeked over the bit of earth they hid behind, she heard her sister's gasp from behind her. She turned to face Trevor and smiled slightly._

_"Head east. I can't lead them astray anymore." Trevor told her, looking between both girls._

_"We can't run anymore." Katerina said._

_"Never mind. There is a cottage," He pointed in the direction in front of him. "Go, you will be safe there. Go."_

_Viviana grabbed her sister's hand and they took off running once more. The only sounds of the night were their heavy breathing and the slamming of footsteps on the ground. A little small cottage came into view on their left. They ran to it and Viviana began to hammer her fists on the wooden door with all the strength she could muster._

_"Please. Please - please help us!" Viviana pleaded and the door then opened, revealing a little old lady. "Please you have you have to help us."_

_"I do not invite strangers into my home" The old woman informed them and she began shutting the door._

_"Please!" Katerina pleaded, she thought for a moment before she quickly added. "Trevor - Trevor sent said that you'd help us" Upon hearing that a women with long, light brown hair and big hazel eyes walked over to the door and stood behind the old lady._

_"Who is it?" The woman wondered then she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the two girls. "Damn making promises I don't want to keep. " She turned to the old woman and began to compel her. "Bring them water and something to eat. " After obeying the vampire, the woman went to the kitchen. The two brunettes came into the small cottage_

_"You must be Rose. Thank you. " Viviana spoke as she pulled out the moonstone._

_"You stole this from Klaus?"_

_"It was to be part of the sacrifice ritual, so I grabbed it and we made our escape." Viviana explained to the woman._

_"People do not escape from Klaus. Everyone who tries ends up back in his grasp and anyone who helps them dies." The vampire growled._

_"I know the risk you bring on yourself by giving us aid." Katerina spoke, nodding understandingly._

_"I'm risking nothing. At night fall I am taking you both back to Klaus and beg him to show us mercy!" Rose explained. She grabbed both the girls, pushing them into a small empty room, closing it behind her. The girls began banging on the door and screaming._

* * *

"So, how are things with Damon?" Vivienne questioned with a new gleam in her eye, looking much livelier after a few small cups of blood. "Have you jumped into bed with him yet?"

"I'm not here to gossip with you, Vivienne." Louise stated. "If you want, Elena and I can turn around and leave but you and Katherine...well, you can't. So, if you want more blood..."

Louise raised her eyebrows and wait for a response but Vivienne merely pursed her lips. She could tell from her vampire ancestor's expression that she's not used to being on this side of bribery. It was kind of fun. The seer picked up the plastic bottle, still almost full and was a little generous, filling both cups over half way. Maybe if the vampires thought she was being nice, they would continue the story. Louise gingerly placed the cups on the slightly uneven ground and began to slowly push them with the stick.

"What does the Petrova blood line have to do with Klaus?" Elena asked.

"It's really tedious but-" Katherine paused, bringing the cup to her lips before downing the contents and crushing it in her palm. "The curse was bound by the sacrifice of Petrova blood ; the doppelganger and the seer. Witches are crafty with their spells. The doppelgängers were created as a way to be able to undo the spell. Once the doppelgängers reappeared, the curse can be broken."

"So you guys ran before he killed you?" Elena narrowed her eyes, she was watching Katherine's reactions closely now.

Vivienne and Katherine both shared a look at each other before Vivienne muttered. "Something like that." Vivienne pursed her lips as she thought back. "I stole the moonstone and we ran. Elijah and his men were tracking us while Trevor led them astray. He pointed us to the cottage where we met oh so lovely Rose-Marie." Sarcasm dripped in her voice. "Trevor said she would help us to freedom but Rose was clear on the fact she was going to deliver us back to Klaus."

Elena shook her head, piecing the story together. "Rose never ended up taking you back to Klaus, did she?"

"No, but not because she had a change of heart." Katherine said, looking over at her sister.

* * *

**England, 1492**

_Inside the room that the doppelgangers were locked in, they both sat on the bed, facing each other. Viviana held a knife in her hands. "Stab yourself." she instructed. Katerina gave her a look of shock, so she elaborated. "Do you trust me?" she asked and without hesitation, Katerina nodded. "Just do it. I have a plan."_

_Katerina still held the look on her face but only for a moment, it seemed to dawn on her what her sister had in mind. She took the knife from Viviana's hand and drove it into her stomach. She took in a deep breath as she prepared herself. She let out a low groan in pain before looking at the other brunette._

_"But," Katerina began, laying down on the bed. "What about you?"_

_"Do not worry, sister. I said I have a plan." Viviana reminded her before she took the knife from her and slit both her wrists._

_Not long after, Rose opened the door to the room, she held two sets of ropes in her hand. "It's nightfall. Time to go." she spoke then a wave of blood filled her nostrils before she realised both girls were bleeding." When did this happen?"_

_"In the woods," Viviana lied quickly, hiding the knife behind her back._

_**"**It's a lie, I would have smelled it." Rose hissed. She walked over to the girls and pulled Viviana's hand from behind her back revealing the knife. She confiscated the weapon and glared at the girls._

_"We would rather die than go back to Klaus." Viviana spat at the vampire. "Please, just let my sister and I die."_

_**"**If you die then Trevor dies with you." Rose said, ripping into her wrist with her fangs then pushed her wrist to Viviana's lips before doing the same to Katerina. They're wounds were now healed._

_Rose rushed from the room once she heard Trevor marching into the small cottage. She shoved him against the wall, clasping her hand around his throat. "You have set us both on the path of death." she scolded him. "I only hope Klaus sees the honour in returning those girls to him."_

_"He will sacrifice them." Trevor choked out, gripping her hand._

_"Then so be it!"_

_**"**I love Katerina, Rose." he announced._

_"He'll kill you. He won't stop until he has all of our heads."_

_"Then we shall run until we die." Trevor said. There was a loud clutter coming from the other room and the two vampires rush to the scene to see what's happened. They find both Katerina and Viviana hanging from the ceiling by a rope, their hands clasped around each others._

* * *

Elena gasped, sitting forward slightly. "You two killed yourselves?!"

"Klaus needed a _human_ doppelgänger and a _human_ seer." Katherine emphasized as she explained. "As vampires, our blood were no longer any use to him."

"You didn't really escape." Elena pointed out. "You've been running from Klaus ever since." That was no life, in her opinion. 1492...that was over five hundred years of constant running. Elena didn't want that for herself or her sister. Vivienne seemed to know what she was thinking.

"I underestimated his spirit for vengeance." Vivienne admitted bitterly. "But living in a suitcase is better than dying so you can have your blood spilled over some silly little rock."

No one spoke for the next few moments. Vivienne titled her head as she observed Elena's pale, ill at ease features with a smirk. "Wouldn't you have done the same, Elena? I think Louise would have." Her eyes flickered towards her lookalike. "What's wrong? Afraid I'm right?"

Louise appeared to be ignoring her as she brushed a piece of her dreadfully straight hair behind her ear. "Don't wanna die? There's another way out." Vivienne deftly slid her fingernail over her wrist, opening a small wound that would have bled more if she had anything in her. Louise looked up, confused and curious, before turning away when she saw what Vivienne was suggesting. "Better hurry, your opportunity's going, going, going...and gone." Vivienne very obviously feigned disappointment and Louise glared at her.

Vivienne smiled, pretending not to care, but she wanted either Louise or Elena to accept the blood. She wouldn't actually allow them to drink, she wanted either of them to enter their territory for a split second, that's all it would take. The human girls wasn't stupid though. They knew Vivienne or Katherine would just trick her into the tomb. Even if Vivienne was seriously offering, being a vampire wouldn't solve any of their problems.

* * *

**England, 1492**

_Trevor stood watching over the Petrova girls carefully as he waited for them to wake and Rose stood casually against the doorway. At the same time, Katerina gasped awake from her lifeless slumber, hand immediately flying to her throat in search for signs of any marks left from the rope and Viviana's eyes flew open, chocolate brown hair sprawled across the pillow as her new senses took in her surroundings._

_"What did you do, Katerina? Viviana?" Trevor's horrified voice filled the room. "I would have helped you two live."_

_Katerina shook her head as she rose from the bed. She glanced over her shoulder at her sister, who clutched at her head. "You would have helped us run." Her gaze returned to the vampire in front of her. "That was never going to be enough."_

_"It was enough for me." Trevor informed her, his voice cracking. He had longed for a life with Katerina but never did he consider transforming her into a beast like himself._

_Rose rolled her eyes from the doorway as she entered the room. "Do you not see, Trevor?" The older vampire glared at the two brunettes. "She used you to help her and her sister escape and me to turn them. Klaus will see our role in this."_

_Katerina didn't try to deny anything. "And for that we're sorry."_

_"As am I...for this." Rose rushed towards Katerina with a wooden stake ready to drive it through her chest but Viviana was quick as she pushed the owner of the cottage in front of them for protection. Rose didn't see the switch coming and slammed the stake through the old lady's shoulder. The overwhelming scent of fresh blood washed over Viviana and she sunk her fangs into the old woman's neck. She gulped down the blood greedily before pulling back. _

_"Please you must understand." Viviana mumbled, looking between Rose and Trevor._

_"You have just signed our death sentence."_

_"Better you die than us." Viviana said as she flung the old woman into Trevor's arms and grabbed her sister's hand before fleeing with her new found super speed._

* * *

"Rose and Trevor spent the last five hundred years running because you two used them." Elena scowled in disgust and disbelief. "Trevor just got killed!"

"I never thought he would last that long." Katherine mused as she flipped through the old pages of the book that held her family history. She didn't bother acknowledge Elena's outburst.

Elena was taken back at her indifference and her eyes flickered towards Vivienne who merely just shrugged. The human shook her head from side to side, eyes flickering between the two vampires. "You two don't even care that you ruined their lives."

"I was looking out for my sister and myself, Elena." Vivienne hissed. "I will _always_ look out for the both of us. If you're smart, you'll both do the same."

Elena doesn't respond, she leaned back onto the wall and Louise took a deep breath, reminding herself that it was her choice to come here. Damon is going to be livid when he found out, which she hoped would be when she told him and not because Caroline decided to spill her secret.

She re-read her text to Damon, saying that she'll talk to him after school and hit send. She's banking on him having something that will keep him occupied until then; she guessed he does because, even though he didn't say much about the new information, she could tell he's more worried than he's letting on and Damon isn't the type to sit idly by.

Vivienne narrowed her eyes at her lookalike. "Is that lover boy? Send him my love will you?"

Louise rolled her eyes, putting her phone away. She thought for a moment before she question. "So how much of your little story is true?"

"I have no reason to lie, Louise." Katherine spoke up, eyes glancing up from the book to look at her sister. "We both don't. We have no reason to do anything but sit here and read and rot."

"Okay, assuming it's even partially true, that's the reason why you came back isn't it?" Elena was starting to realise that in order to get the full story, she was going to have to try and think like her ancestors would. Why else would they sit still in one place if they were so desperate to run from Klaus? "Because you wanted to be the one to hand us over to Klaus."

Vivienne shrugged. "Five hundred years on the run, we figured maybe he'd be willing to strike a deal."

"That's why you got Mason Lockwood to find you the moonstone." Louise said, the pieces of the puzzle slowly starting to fall into place.

"Right again." Vivienne clapped her hands together in praise.

"There's more isn't there? What else do you need to break the curse?"

Vivienne smirked. "Hmm, look who a clever girl."

"It's not just us or the stone, is it?" Elena practically gasped, realisation hitting her. Their entire diabolical plan was starting to make sense now. "Otherwise there would be no reason to trigger Tyler Lockwood's werewolf curse."

Katherine sighed dramatically. "Witches and their spells: so many ingredients, so many people to sacrifice."

"So you need a werewolf?" Elena pushed.

"Believe it or not, they're hard to come by." Vivienne muttered.

"What else?" The eldest Gilbert demanded impatiently.

"A witch to do the spell." Katherine told them. "Ours bailed but Bonnie will do just fine."

"What else?" Elena repeated.

"A vampire." Vivienne answered, a slight grin spreading on her face.

"You turned Caroline." Louise realised now why they had targeted her friend so much now. Probably saw her as an easy victim and also conveniently somebody else who it would hurt the Salvatore's to lose - they liked to cause maximum damage after all.

"It could have been anyone I suppose," Vivienne explained with a shrug. "But I like the poetry of Caroline."

"So you were gonna just hand us all over to be killed?" Elena snapped, anger lacing her words and she took a step towards the tomb, her fear of Katherine and Vivienne seemingly forgotten.

"Better you die than us." Katherine answered frankly before she got to her feet and retreated back into the tomb. Clearly done being questioned, Vivienne followed her sister, stepping backwards until the shadows hid her.

For a long time, Louise sat staring into the dark depths of the tomb while Elena paced back and forth as they waited to see if Katherine and Vivienne would return but their attempts were futile. Louise let out a loud sigh before she absentmindedly gathered up the stuff they had brought to bribe the two vampires. She contemplated going in after her but Klaus or no Klaus, two starving vampires are going to feed on what's available.

"Come on, 'Lena. We should go - they're not coming back out." Louise suggested as she watched her sister continue to pace.

"This isn't the end of the story." Elena shook her head. "There's more."

A soft sound in the dim light alerted them to somebody's presence and the two brunettes whipped around to see Stefan stepping forward. His features contorted in a mask of worry and concern but the anger that dwelled beneath didn't go unnoticed.

"Stefan, what are you doing here?" Elena questioned. She glanced back to the tomb but Vivienne and Katherine were still out of sight.

"I could ask you the same question." Stefan resorted.

"Caroline told you." Louise sighed as she shook her head. Caroline did warn them she was no good at keep secrets. "Probably shouldn't have gotten Caroline to the distraction.2

"No, she kept your secret but it didn't take long for me to figure out the two places where you two would be that could potentially be dangerous. I came here."

"You would have stopped us." Louise pointed out.

"Listen to me, whatever they said to you two is a lie. Do not listen to them. They are both liars." Stefan was tense as he looked between both Louise and Elena at appropriate times. The older brunette stepped forward.

Elena shook her head. "What if they aren't? You didn't hear what they said."

Stefan walked around Louise to Elena. "You don't have to worry, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you more than I'm going to let it happen to Louise." He turned to the other brunette. "I said I'd keep you both safe."

"That's the problem." Elena sighed sadly. You can't keep us safe, Stefan. You can't keep me safe. But I know you'll try and...you'll die trying. How's that any better?" The more she thought about it, the more hopeless it seemed. Her feelings weren't helped when Katherine and Vivienne re-emerged from the tomb.

Vivienne's taunting voice rang through the tomb. "There's nothing you can do, Stefan. We forgot the best part of the story."

* * *

**Bulgaria, 1492**

_Katerina and Viviana rode on separate horses as fast as they could through the breaking twigs and trembling reeds beneath them to their family home in the distance. They could see the outline of the small cottage. Viviana found it hard to breath, there was a stitch in her chest and home had never felt so far even though it was there in the visible distance._

_"Viviana." Katerina's voice was wavering with fear as they approached the house. After they both got down from their horse, they took in sight of several bloodied bodies scattered around the grounds this caused the eldest sister to run into the house. Bursting through the front door, gasping at the sight of her father impaled with a sword in the heart to the wall. Her mother's dead body lies on a neighbouring bed._

_Katerina wasted no time rushing towards her mother's corpse. "No! Mama." She frantically and hysterically cried. When the realisation of her mother being dead, she hugged her body tightly._

_Hearing her sister's cries, Viviana burst through the front door, seemingly not quick enough and the sight that hit her, the smell, even the taste knocked the ground from beneath her. Her knees buckled in a cold sweat as she dropped to the floor, taking in the dead bodies of her family strewn about the room. The tears hit the floor before she felt them and in petrified anguish, blood stains marred the delicate cleaning her mother had always taken such precious time with._

_All she could see was the massacre Niklaus had left behind. What he had left behind for her._

_"She's dead. Mama's dead." Katerina's hysterical cries brought her attention to her mother's face lay beside her and Vivienne gasped the cold dead hand. "They're all dead."_

_Viviana was hunched and sobbing then she was crying, all she could see was blood, the metallic delicious and haunting rubbing, it filled her up, it turned her eyes black, it was death incarnate, seeping into the air around them and she couldn't stop screaming, her hand wringing her previously perfected chestnut curls._

* * *

"He killed them, our entire family, just to get back at us for running." Vivienne explained with hard eyes. Louise took in a sharp breath and Elena's breath hitched. "Whatever you do to escape Klaus, he will get his vengeance on your friends, your family and anyone that you've ever loved."

"No, look at me." Stefan grabbed Elena's shoulders. "No, do not listen to her, okay?"

Katherine chuckled softly. "Always the protector but even you must realize that they're doomed. You can't save them both, Stefan. There's nothing you can do to stop it." She paused. "Unless of course you have this."

"The moonstone." Louise breathed as Katherine produced the clear stone that Damon had put in the tomb.

"Oh no, there it is." Stefan said, pointing an accusing finger at Katherine. "It's the ultimate lie, isn't it? You spun this whole thing so that we would have to get the stone from you, didn't you?"

Katherine rolled her eyes. "I didn't spin anything, Stefan. It's the truth."

"No, let me guess. You want to trade that stone for your freedom, you manipulative, psychotic bitches."

Vivienne scoffed with a shake of her head. "Freedom? That's where you're wrong, Stefan. We don't want freedom because when Klaus shows up to kill us all and he_ will_, we'll be in the tomb, where no vampire will enter because they can't get out. We'll be the safest psychotic bitches in town." She gave a glance to her lookalike before retreating back into the tomb with her sister at her side.

Stefan was left speechless and he turned to look at his girlfriend. Louise swallowed the lump in the back of her throat. There was shuffling around coming from the stairs and she heard a voice that she recognised to be Damon's.

"Barbie, you better hope nothing happened to Louise or I'll throw you in the tomb and gleefully watch Vivienne and Katherine play cat and mouse with you. Care to guess which one you are in that scenario?"

"Ow!" Caroline moaned, trying to pull her arm from Damon's grasp as he dragged her down the stairs to the tomb. "Louise wouldn't have gone in there. See!" She jerked her head forward to where Louise, Stefan and Elena stood.

"Damon. Let her go."

He looked up and flashed to stand in front of Louise before she could even blink and the brunette jumped back clearly startled. Immediately he's overcome with mixed emotions; relief at seeing her alive and well, desire to kiss her and anger - mostly anger. The blue eyed vampire took in a deep breath to calm himself, trying to think of the best way to get his point across without losing his cool. He came up blank. Louise squealed when suddenly she being flung over Damon's shoulder.

* * *

"Damon Salvatore! Put me down!" Louise ordered as she beat Damon's back with her fists. The vampire stepped over threshold of the boarding house and slammed the door behind him. From her spot at the fire place, Rose gave him a strange look but decide to comment and let the two continue to bicker. Once Damon entered his room, he placed the seer back onto her feet and she grumbled as she straightened herself.

"You can't blame me for wanting answers." She decided to stick to her guns as she folded her arms across her chest.

Damon mirrored her, also folding his arms. "Now you've got them are you happy?"

"Happy?!" A sarcastic chuckle slipped past her lips. "No I'm not happy, Damon." Louise shook her head as she felt the tears prickle behind her eyelids. "Because when Klaus comes to Mystic Falls he'll kill all my friends and if I run he will kill everyone I love. I wanted to know the truth and I got it...I just..."

Damon shook his head, his tense demeanour relaxed as he took a step forward to close the distance between them. He cupped her cheek. "No one will hurt you as long as I'm breathing."

Louise swallowed the large lump in her throat. It wasn't her own well being that she was concerned with. "I don't care about me." she spoke firmly with the slight shake of her head. "I can't lose my family, my fiends...I-I can't lose you. I won't have you dying for me."

The vampire opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a knock at the door and the pair snapped there heads towards the sound.

"I didn't mean to interrupt." Rose said awkwardly as she stood in the doorway. "But I realised there is one way out of this."

"What?" Louise and Damon asked at the same time, both desperate.

"You could turn. Do what Vivienne and Katherine did."

Louise had done nothing but think about this since she learned the truth but she didn't want to let that on to Damon. She tried not to even think about the possibility of becoming a vampire because it scared her - she wasn't sure what she wanted, except she didn't want to make that decision right now, not under threat. Damon looked over at her.

"I'd have to spend the rest of my life on the run." Louise said carefully. "Until Klaus caught up to me or until another doppelganger appeared. If that's another five hundred years..."

"You wouldn't have to run alone." Damon murmured, glancing at Rose.

"I might not make it as long as Vivienne, Damon. Klaus could find me within an hour and kill us both." She saw the truth of her words hit him and the frown set in. She knew that he would rather take the risk and spend their lives on the run but she knew that wasn't who she was. Vivienne and Katherine had survived because they were unscrupulous and cruel - Louise couldn't be either of those things. The brunette turned to look at Rose. "If you could choose all over again..."

"I wouldn't want to spend my existence running." Rose admitted. Louise inhaled a ragged breath.


	10. The Sacrifice

**The Sacrifice**

* * *

_March 28, 2010_

_Dear diary,_

_It's late but I couldn't sleep. I don't seem to need as much sleep as I used to._

_I know it's been a very long time since I've written and I'm sorry about that but a lot of things have been going on. I know that doesn't sound like an excuse, rather it's the reason why I write here in the first place. To let it out. But like I said a lot of things have been happening, for too many things for me to write about them. Because when I write I don't know where to start. That simple._

Let's start with my new relationship...

_I'd be lying if I said it was my intent to fall in love with Damon Salvatore. Even in the beginning, I felt an attraction which I tried to dismiss. But Damon's voice shaped perfect words, wrapped up in his deep, husky voice. I was fascinated, intimidate. Under the scrutinising glare of his watchful eyes. They saw everything._

_He's dangerous. And I know that. I know all of what he's effortlessly capable of. He's a murderer. A fact which used to make me tremble, but now it's to summon any fear at all. He is what he is. And I know he would never hurt me, could never allow himself to. And I embrace him every time he walks through the door, all of him, because I love him. It doesn't make any sense, but I'm gradually learning life doesn't make sense. I don't want normal. I don't want the expected. Diary, all I want is him._

_It's never going to be easy, but this what I've chosen. I've chosen Damon, because I know there's something inside of him worth hanging onto._

_Onto other news..._

_The oldest vampire in history is after my sister and I. He wants to break the sun and the moon curse that will unlock his werewolf side. In order to do so - he needs to drink every last drop of blood from our bodies in order to succeed. _My only option is to turn into a vampire and be on the run forever or hand myself over.

_Nothing feels the same anymore. When will it end? __I long for the days when Katherine and Vivienne were our biggest worry, but then that all came back down to Klaus anyway.  
_

Louise stopped writing, closed her diary before she popped it on the bedside table. Her gaze fell to the empty spot next to her where Damon should be sleeping. Gently, she moved off the bed. Stark naked, she threw on a clean set of Damon's boxers and his shirt. She stared out the window. The sun was beginning to rise, putting the world in an orange light.

A few weeks ago, Louise barely ever saw the sun rise; now it was becoming a common thing, a morning ritual. She had gotten into the habit of rising when the sun did. Since she dont get any sleep until two or on a good night three, she often went home and had afternoon naps. Damon was concerned and Jenna believed she was coming down with the flu and shoved vitamins down her throat. Louise didn't have the courage to tell her that the flu was the least of her worries.

The brunette wrapped her arms around herself as she shuffled down the stairs. The Salvatore boarding house was eerily quiet. A sweet smile crossed her lips once she spotted Damon with his nose between the pages of a book. A crystal glass of bourbon rested against his forehead. The amber flames from the fireplace crackled and danced across the walls of the parlour.

"He reads." Louise mused as he watched her boyfriend down the rest of his bourbon.

He met her chocolate brown eyes as she took a seat beside him, legs tucked under herself and her knees rested on his leg. "Aren't you suppose to be sleeping or at least resting..." He closed the book, taking in her nearly naked frame.

"I was, until I realised you weren't there. I didn't even hear you get up." Her eyes wondering over his face as she tried to read him before she focused on his eyes once again. "I know you aren't one for sleep, Damon, but you haven't closed your eyes for more than twenty-minutes in the past _two_ days." She shook her head. "It's not healthy."

"I'm immortal, Louise. I'll sleep when I'm dead...dead." Was his reply. He stared at the nothingness in front of him. "Besides, I want to be ready. I'm not the type to sulk in the shadows and wait for someone to make their move."

The disgust was evident on his face; he was becoming increasingly irritated every day that passed by with no clear answers. Louise felt her stomach flip, worried that his temper would get the best of him and it would finally send him over the edge.

"I get that it's frustrating, Damon." She propped her elbow on the back of couch, head rested on her fist as she stared at the side of his face. "You're not alone in that, we're all frustrated with all of it."

"Yeah, well I decided to catch up on some reading. Maybe find something that I missed - but nothing."

The seer snatched the book from him, eyes scanning over the engraved writing on the side. "Catching up on your Petrova history?" She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Do I even dare ask what you are looking for in here?"

"It's just research, Louise." He retrieved the book back from her hands. "Trying to piece all this stuff together, the sun and moon curse..." He listed on his hand. "The moonstone, Vivienne, Katherine..." He sighed, feeling her lean into him. She took the book and set it aside.

"Look, you'll figure it out, Damon." she said softly, tracing his jaw line with her finger. "We'll figure it out...it's just going to take some time."

His face softened, feeling her warm hand against his cheek. He valued her optimism and courage that never seemed to waver. But it was that innocence that could get her killed.

"We don't have time, Louise." Damon muttered a hint of worry in his voice. His face snapped to the side to meet her gaze. "Klaus is coming for you, and he wants to take you away, don't you get that?"_ A harsh reminder that needed to be said_, Damon thought. Her had slipped away from his face.

"You act like I don't know that." She avoided his gaze. "I get it, Damon. I do...I just can't let it ruin the time that I do have..."

He curled a finger under her chin, gently titling it up so she stared into his eyes. "I didn't mean it like that." She flashed him a quick half-smile; seeing the compassion in his eyes. "And the last thing I want to do is scare you, Louise, but you need to be aware."

"I know, and I guess I keep thinking that if I look at it differently, it won't seem so bad." She took a deep breath. "I just - if these are my final days-"

"Louise. Don't talk like that." He cut her off. "Don't think like that."

The thought had crossed her mind every day; when, how, and what her final moments would be like. What would happen to all those she loved?

"But that's what you mean, right? By being aware? That my life is in the balance here, and I-I could..." Her eyes filled with tears, as Damon caressed her cheekbone, her every word a dagger straight threw his unbeaten heart. "If I'm going to die, I don't want the time we have to be ruined by darkness." Her voice was a near whisper. The truth was now out in the open that revealed yet another burden she carried.

"You're not going to die." He clenched his jaw, pushing the emotion away from the surface. "I will do everything in my power, Louise. _Everything_." He choked out the last word and her breathing slowed, as a single tear streamed down her cheek. She could see the determination in his eyes. "You hear me?" He shook her slightly. "We have time."

* * *

"Let's do it." Damon said to his brother as the walked into the tomb. The two brothers shared a glance before they grabbed the stone door; Damon took the right side while Stefan was on the left. "One, Two, Three." On the last count, they pulled the door off the entrance of the tomb. Stefan and Damon leaned against the frame of the entrance as the waited.

"Come to rescue us?" Vivienne's voice was lilting and sweet but Damon could sense the barely-restrained violence and hunger that lay beneath the words.

"How rude of us not to offer you anything to eat. We're such poor hostesses." Katherine chimed in. The brothers couldn't see them but they could sense their presence.

"You guys are guests in our home, after all. If I'd known you were coming, Stef, I would have brought you a bunny or two." Vivienne whispered, finally emerging from the shadows. She looked pale and gaunt and even the few gulps of blood that she received from her ancestors had long since left her system. "Damon! And here I thought I'd never see you again. What? No blood?" she asked, frowning mockingly at his empty hands. Her eyes lifted to his face and coy smile played on her lips. "Louise was far more kind." Damon gritted his teeth.

Katherine was not far behind as she rounded the corner, her skin just as pale and eyes stained with dark circles.

Stefan rolled his eyes before he said in a serious tone. "We're here for the moonstone."

"Feel like tossing it over?" Damon suggested.

Vivienne shook her head and snickered loudly. "Well, loverboy, it appears the moonstone is in high demand and since it's the only leverage on getting the hell out of this tomb. I'm not handing it over. The only way you'll get it is out of my cold, dead fingers." she declared triumphantly, her hand tightly grasping the stone. In an instant, her expression changed from one of amusement to a predatory gleam. "So, by all mean...do come in. There's plenty of room for all of us."

"I'd rather poke my eyes out." Damon responded bluntly and coldly.

Vivienne groaned in disapproval then pouted. "Mmm, they're such pretty eyes."

"Or..."Katherine pursed her lips as she thought. She lightly placed her palm against the jiggered wall. Her skin, already grimy and unwashed with dirt, began to itch unbearably as she thought about the slow and painful desiccation process. She wasn't at the point where the pain was unbearable, but she knew a few more days and both her and Vivienne be writhing in agony. "Tell you what, you get your little witch to hocus pocus us out of here, you can have whatever you want."

Stefan tilted his head. "I thought you guys liked it in here. Nice and safe where Klaus can't get to you."

Both brunettes simultaneously glanced over at each other before returning their attention to the brothers. Katherine shrugged and answered dryly. "We've had time to reconsider."

"Meaning you're hungry." The eldest Salvatore translated.

"We're starving, Damon. And dirty." Katherine pouted in a very child-like fashion, her fingers absently playing with her necklace.

"But above all, _bored_." Vivienne admitted as she progressively move closer to the entrance, stumbling slightly. "At least running from Klaus wasn't boring - so here's the deal: you get us out of here, you get the moonstone." She held up the clear stone. "And my sister and I disappear from Mystic Falls forever."

The brothers only response was to glance over at each other.

"Let us know what you decide." With a quick smirk, Katherine stumbled back into the recesses of the cave without another word.

"Tick tock, tick tock." Vivienne's voice echoed eerily in the darkness as she followed after her sister.

* * *

"Hey." Louise halted brushing through her hair to glance over her shoulder, seeing Elena stood in the bathroom doorway that lead to her bedroom. "Do you know where my green shirt is, I was going to wear it today."

Louise gestured with her head as she responded. "Check in my hamper I burrowed it the other day."

"It's technically not burrowing if you don't ask. It's stealing." Elena said and Louise rolled her eyes, she opened her mouth to mimic her sister but was interrupted by the doorbell. The two brunettes shared confused looks. Elena was the first to move towards the stairs, reaching the bottom before her Louise could. She pulled open the door to see the Salvatore brothers.

"Damon?" Louise quickly scrambled down the stairs. She saw him earlier in the morning but somehow she was still slightly excited to see him.

"Louise." he repeated, slightly mockingly as he stepped over the threshold. He gave Elena an appraising glance, then bent his head and lightly brushed his lips across Louise's upturned lips.

"Surreal." Elena muttered. The brunette had sort of gotten use to Louise and Damon as a couple but seeing them be affectionate was still something she hasn't adjusted to yet.

"I was expecting the window. Who knew you could knock like a normal person." The seer mocked teasingly.

"You missed the most important meal of the day so...I brought it to you." He indicated to the of coffee and a box of doughnuts in his hand.

Louise stared at them, her mouth slowly forming into a smile. The simple act of bringing her breakfast made her smile; it was something so thoughtful, something she hadn't thought that Damon would do. Her smile slowly started to fade as her eyes drifted from her boyfriend's to his brother standing next to him. When Stefan and Damon arrived together it had to be bad news.

"Oh no." She muttered and Damon actually chuckled dryly. "So, what's the real reason you're here?"

"We need to talk." Stefan informed them.

Elena arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"We went to see Katherine and Vivienne." Damon explained. Simultaneously, Louise and Elena let out a tired sigh.

The brothers explained how Katherine and Vivienne offered them the moonstone in exchange for their freedom from he tomb. Of course, it went against the grain to trust either one of them to keep their word. Damon and Stefan stood around the kitchen island, eyes darting between the two sisters.

"You don't believe her, do you?" Elena questioned incredulously. She pursed her lips doubtfully as she took a seat around kitchen island beside Louise.

"No, of course not." Damon scoffed. "We just want the moonstone."

"According to Rose's friend Slater, there's a way to destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break." Stefan informed them.

"No spell means no sacrifice. Ergo, you guys live." Damon summed up, looking quite pleased with himself. He caught his girlfriend's gaze and held it.

"So how exactly do you destroy an ancient curse?" Louise inquired with a raised brow.

This time it was Stefan's turn to look pleased with himself as he replied simply. "By releasing it from the moonstone."

Elena frowned. She seemed to share her sister's dubiousness about how real the new information from their informant could be. "How do you guys even know this is gonna work?"

"Cause we have a crafty witch on our side." Damon's signature smirk crept at the corner of his lips.

Louise pursed her lips with displeasure. "You discussed it with Bonnie."

Stefan confirmed with a swift nod of his head. "She agreed to do anything she could to help us."

"Need I remind you, it's Katherine and Vivienne who has the moonstone." Elena pointed out the flaw in the plan. "They're not gonna give it to you."

"We're gonna get it from them." Stefan said simply.

"Well, what he means to say is, we will pry it from their cold, dead hands if we have to." Damon repeated Vivienne's words from earlier.

"Bonnie just needs to find a way to release the seal long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out in time for her to return it."

Louise was slightly taken back at how confident Stefan sounded with their plan. They had everything mapped out. "Interesting. You guys seem to have it all planned out."

"Yep. We're awesome." Damon grinned arrogantly.

"Except for one thing. We don't want you to do it." Elena announced with a straight face and Louise nodded in agreement.

Damon and Stefan both wore identical frowns as they exchanged worried and shocked glances. They did not expect that. The brothers had waltzed in with their fully formed plan in tow but sadly for them, Louise and Elena had already made their minds up. The two had already formulated a plan of their own and they planned to stick to it.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked completely baffled. "We don't have a choice."

"What about Klaus?" Louise seriously doubted that the vengeful original vampire was going to step aside to allow this plan to go ahead without a hitch.

"We'll find him right after we get the moonstone." Stefan stated.

"Are you stupid?" Louise questioned. Her eyes bounced between the two vampires. "Did either of you listen to the stories about him? Vivienne and Katherine were on the run for five hundred years! He will kill everyone that we care about, including the two of you." This stumped them momentarily, she could tell. Stefan looked at his brother as if to ask for help but Damon's blue gaze stayed on Louise. It was almost as if he wasn't surprised at all that Louise had taken this stance.

Stefan's forest green eyes flickered between the two brunettes. "If we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save both your lives."

"I know." Elena mumbled. "So everybody keeps telling us." Stefan and Damon exchanged looks once again and Louise hopped off the stool, heading out the kitchen.

"Louise." She was unsurprised when Damon followed her up to her bedroom. The brunette was bustling around her room, tidying things up and not looking at him.

"Klaus isn't going to let this happen."

"Louise." Damon said her name once again. She ignored him, continuing on her tornado-like path around her bedroom.

"The second you let that tomb spell down, Vivienne and Katherine are gonna run and they're gonna take the moonstone with them. And if you succeed in getting the moonstone, Klaus will come and kill you before you find out how to break the spell. And then he will sacrifice Elena and I and the curse will be broken and-"

"Louise." Damon cut her off as he vamped in front of her and grabbed her arms, forcing her to come to a standstill. She tried to shake him off but he was too strong and so she gave up, looking up at him. "I know you don't want to risk this. I know." he told her. "But, as I keep reminding you; I am not willing to risk losing you. And even if that's what happens anyway, at least I will know I did everything in my power to save you. I can't let Klaus get to you, Louise and if I have to die to stop him-"

It was Louise's turn to cut him off. "I'm not just about you, Damon! It's about Stefan too, Caroline and Tyler and Bonnie and...everybody, every single person I know and love You know how scared Rose is of Klaus. Doesn't that give you an idea of what we're up against?" The seer stared up at him beseechingly. She didn't want to die any more than he wanted her to, but she didn't think his plan was going to do anything but kill them all, in the end. There had to be another avenue for them to explore before it came to this.

Damon let go of her arms and she saw his blue eyes flash in anger. "This is out of your hands, Louise." He snapped, vamping out before she could speak, leaving a cold breee behind.

* * *

The entire car journey was quiet, Rose certainly wasn't making simple small talk and Louise and Elena were perfectly capable of communicating with facial expressions alone. See the girls had roped Rose into their planning of finding Klaus; the vampire would have to take them to her friend Slater. She was reluctant at first but when Elena threw out the offer of being able to walk in the sun after five hundred years in the shadows, how could she say no?

Both Louise and Elena felt horrible, having to drag the vampire into another situation and use her much like their ancestors did but there was no other choice. Rose was their only hope.

"Louise. We're here."

The brunette's eyes fluttered open as she felt herself being shook lightly, only to realise she had dozed off. She peered around at her surroundings to see Rose had parked in an underground parking lot. The Gilbert sisters hoped out the car and followed the vampire up the staircase to the deluxe apartment. Once they reached the door, Rose banged her fist repeated against the it while Louise and Elena stood nearby.

"Slater? Slater, it's Rose. Open up!" Rose called through the door. After a brief moment of silence, the door did not swing open to reveal Rose's friend and she turned to the girls, shaking her head side to side. "He's not home. Sorry."

"Mm-mm. No." Elena shook her head. "We didn't come all the way out here for nothing."

The brunette made a silent gesture for the vampire to bust open the door. Rose sighed exasperatedly and turned back to the door, taking the golden handles in her hand and pushing forward with enormous strength. The doors swivelled on their hinges, clashing against the walls on the inside of the apartment.

"After you." Rose gestured Elena and Louise into the dark apartment and she follow suited. The vampire wandered further into the apartment than the girls, in search for her friend in question. "Slater?" As she moved towards the back of the apartment, she peered through a doorway and her mouth fell open in shock. "I don't think he's gonna be much help."

Louise frowned and jogged over to her side with Elena on her heels.

"You've got to be kidding me." Louise muttered, as her eyes caught the source of Rose's dread. At their feet lay a male, who she assumed to be Slater with what looked like a chair leg lodged through his chest. She let out a frustrated sigh and glanced over at her sister who like her also looked defeated.

Rose went to drag the body elsewhere as Louise ran a hand through her hair, partially disappointed and partially sad and frustrated. She exhaled lightly. Elena shook her head and walked over to the huge desk at the curtained window of the apartment and grabbed the stack of papers.

"Looks like whoever blew up the coffee shop found him and killed him for his information." Elena said as she shuffled through the papers.

"Yeah, probably to stop him from helping people like us." Rose murmured as she strolled back into the room. The bitterness in her voice didn't go unnoticed. "The guy was a vampire almanac. Knowing too much information just bit him in the ass."

Louise moved towards the desk, taking a seat on the chair while Elena continued to go through the papers. When she didn't find anything useful, Elena dropped the stack of papers before she picked up a framed photo. The picture had two people; Slater and a blonde haired girl. Rose walked over to the set of windows and pulled back the curtains which startled both brunettes.

"What are you doing?" Louise's eyes widened, glancing up at the vampire as if she expected her to melt away. Which she should be doing being exposed to the sunlight.

"Tempered glass. U.V. rays can't penetrate." Rose explained, peering out the window to the world of day with a longing look. "I used to just come here and watch the day."

Elena glanced up from the photo to observe Rose. "I'm sorry about Slater."

"Any luck?" Rose asked, ignoring Elena's comment and finally moving away from the window.

Louise attempted to log into one of the computers but sighed when something flashed onto the screen. "Um..." She scratched the back of her neck. "It's password protected."

Rose sighed. "Then this all pointless.. Let's just go." Before Louise or Elena could respond to the statement, there was a sound from the other room. "Stay here." Rose ordered as she stalked towards the door where the noise came from. She peered into the small hallway and spotted a girl hiding behind a corner. "Alice?"

"Rose!" The dark haired girl, Alice, was crying heavily as she rushed towards Rose and threw herself into the vampire's arms. "He's dead!"

After what seemed like forever, Alice had managed to turn her wailing shrieked into small sobs as she rested on the couch with Rose and Elena watching over her. Alice had been Slater's girlfriend an the sight of him staked course had upset her, understandably. Louise, however, mainly felt frustrated that her only possible connection to Klaus was gone. Still, she had lost enough people by now to have compassion.

The brunette was currently making tea when Rose returned to the room just as she poured hot water into the teacup. The vampire sat down next to Louise.

"How is she?"

"Overreacting." Rose replied. "Big time."

"Her boyfriend just died. There's no such thing as overreacting." Louise could only imagine how she'd feel if Damon died...

"Those tears are for her. She didn't care about Slater." Louise looked at Rose, curiously. "She was only dating him long enough to see if he'd turn her." Rose looked very distasteful as she explained this. Louise just shrugged, picking up the cup of tea and walked out of the room towards Alice. She handed the cup to her.

"Thank you." Alice took the cup of tea as Louise sat down next to her. The dark hair eyes flickered between the seer and the doppelganger with an air of familiarity. "You two look really familiar. Did you know Slater?"

"Not personally, no. We just knew that he kept detailed records of all of his vampire contacts and we-" Louise paused as she gestured between her and her sister. "We're hoping that he could point us towards Klaus." Louise supposed that she would be safe to tell a human about Klaus - epically one who may be able to help them. It was a little strange, meeting another human who was knowingly caught up in the tumultuous vampire world.

"Doubtful. Klaus doesn't want to be pointed at." Alice said frankly.

"Do you know Slater's computer password?" Elena asked. It seemed ridiculous to be thwarted by this technology.

"Are you seriously asking me that right now? I just saw my boyfriend with a stake through his heart." Alice shot Elena a glare. But after what Rose had said, Louise could see through Alice's veneer. While it was obviously true that she'd cared about Slater in some capacity, it was just shock that was making her cry.

"I understand that. Do you know his password?" Elena persisted.

"Who do you think you are?"

Elena gritted her teeth, looking away from the dark haired girl. Alice brought the piping hot tea to her lips. As Alice sipped her tea, Louise wondered how they were going to get her to talk. She was their only hope of tracking Klaus down, or at least getting his attention. The twins hadn't exactly told Rose their whole plan but it was only a matter of time before it became obvious. It was the thought of Rose that the idea came to her.

"What if I could convince Rose to turn you?" Louise suggested and Alice looked up at her with wide eyes. Rose looked over at Louise disdainfully, obviously having no intention of doing this. "Will you show us his files then?"

Of course it worked. Alice made a show of sniffling and pulling herself together but it wasn't long before she had logged into Slater's computer and was tapping away, while Louise, Elena and Rose stood behind, watching. However, all searched turned up negative; it became clear quickly that all the files had been deleted.

"Someone's been here." Alice stated. "The hard drive's completely wiped out." Louise and Elena glanced over at each other.

"Yeah, probably whoever killed him." Rose stated the obvious. Elena ran a hand over her face and Louise felt her stomach clench, she had to turn away; their last hope was gone.

"Lucky for you, Slater was paranoid. Everything's backed up on a remote server." Alice informed them. Elena perked up and Louise's heart began to beat faster in anticipation. Alice went about accessing the backed up files and Rose moved closer to whisper in Louise's ear that the human wasn't getting anywhere near her blood.

"I know. She doesn't." Rose smiled at Louise's deception.

Elena sat down beside Alice while Louise leaned down on the other side of Alice to get a better look at the computer screen. Alice took them through a few of the code names of Slater's contacts, including one which he had shared many emails about Elijah with. Alice readily suggest that she could call him. Elena gritted her teeth, glancing at Louise; it was now or never.

"Tell him that we're trying to send a message to Klaus. The doppelgänger and the seer are alive and they're ready to surrender."

* * *

"The youngest Gilbert." Katherine called out the second she heard the youngest Gilbert's footsteps. "This is an intriguing surprise." Jeremy stood in front of the entrance where the two vampire couldn't reach him. "Viv, we seem to be very popular today." She threw a smirk at her sister before giving Jeremy a bright smile that was laced with an acidic cruelty.

"I'm here for the moonstone." Jeremy announced.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, the moonstone. It's very popular today."

"Just give it to me."

Katherine let out a tired sigh. "Naïve little Gilbert." She tutted. "If you want it, you're gonna have to come here and get it."

"Or," Vivienne chimed in. "You could always just do a little trade with me. I'm oh so very hungry and you're looking particularly appetising...I'm sure you could satisfy my hunger if you would be willing to take a few steps over this way." A devious smile crossed her face, that dangerous smile that had lured many a man into her cleverly set up trap.

Suddenly, Jeremy pulled out a stake gun from his sleeve, aiming at Vivienne before he fired it which hit her squarely in the stomach. Vivienne grunted in discomfort and clutched at the stake, ripping it out. Before she could full regain her composure, Jeremy threw a handful of ash directly into her face. The vampire gasped and fell to the floor, temporarily unconscious.

"Vivienne!" Katherine exclaimed before she growled, her eyes darting towards the human boy. She moved towards him but as she took a step forward, he repeated his actions of throwing ash into her face and Katherine fell to the ground.

Once he was sure the two vampires were unconscious, Jeremy stepped over the threshold into the tomb. He moved quickly as he began patting down Katherine then Vivienne in search for the moonstone. He grew frustrated as he came to the realisation that they didn't have the stone. He peered at the back of the cave, his human eyes barely making out anything. He turned the flashlight on, shinning the beam of light down the cave and slowly moved back into the crypt. His eyes darted around before he smiled triumphantly as she spotted the moonstone laying on a stone ledge behind an iron gate.

Jeremy pushed open the gate and quickly grabbed the moonstone. He eyed it for a brief moment before turning and dashed back to the entrance of the tomb. He paused once he entered the front portion, seeing both Vivienne and Katherine had regained consciousness. The boy gulped down the lump in his throat seeing their eyes red with hunger, veins protruding from beneath their eyes and fangs undoubtedly exposed behind their lips.

Vivienne was quicker than her sister as she vamp sped over to Jeremy, grabbing him before she sunk her teeth into his throat and began to take down the fresh delicious blood. Jeremy yelled out in pain and threw the moonstone out of the tomb. Vivienne pulled her head back, gasping for air as the blood dripped down her chin.

"Move. You're hogging him!" Katherine hissed as she ripped her sister off the human boy and proceeded to sink her teeth into the open wound on his neck. Vivienne grunted as her back made contact with the wall.

As the older twin fed, Vivienne's ears perked up once she heard voices, she immediately recognised.

"What the hell?" She heard Stefan questioned.

"Is that the moonstone?" This time it was a female that spoke. Bonnie Bennett.

"I hate to interrupt." Vivienne said, gaining their attention as she appeared at the threshold of the tomb. "But today has just been full of surprises." She wiped the blood dripping from her lips.

Just behind her, Katherine appeared with a smirk on her lips before she yanked Jeremy from out the shadows. His eyelids fluttered and the bite mark on his neck oozed with blood. Stefan immediately rushed over to the entrance and Bonnie watched on in horror.

"I'm sorry." Jeremy muttered. "I took some powder."

A smirk pulled at the corners of Katherine's lips. "Don't worry, I know that he's wearing his ring, so no matter how many times we kill him, he'll just keep coming back for more. So, we're going to be in the back playing with our new little toy." She shoved Jeremy back into the cave. "And you guys just give us a holler when you've got the tomb open."

A defeated Stefan turned around to give Bonnie a frightened look. From then on, everything was at a rushed pace. Stefan paced around like a headless chicken and Bonnie was desperately trying to get the spell started. The witch had set up a circle of torches in the antechamber and she lit them with a flame.

Stefan let out a frustrated breath as he asked aloud; "Where the hell is Damon?"

"We can't wait, we have to get him out of there."

"They've fed, they have their strength back. Two of them against me."

"We still have what's left of the ash." Bonnie handed the vampire an envelope with the left over ash. "Do you think you can get close enough?"

"I don't have a choice." Stefan muttered.

"It's gonna take me some time." Bonnie stated, referring the opening of the tomb.

"How long?" The vampire inquired.

Bonnie shrugged. "I don't know, a while."

"Just get me in there as soon as you can."

* * *

Predictably, Rose took the plan badly, but she seemed to accept it. After all, what else was she going to do?

Louise took a drink of water, trying to calm her shaking hands. She stood watching out of a window for a while, not really seeing what was on the other side of it. She was in almost a dream like state. She had scraped death before but this time she had chosen it and she felt strangely about her choice. It went against her instincts to survive, after all.

The seer blinked. In the reflection of the glass she thought she saw somebody walking towards her. It looked like Elijah. The original. But he was dead. And yet, he looked so real, so close and so solid. Louise spun around, half-expecting to find him standing behind her but there was no one there.

Louise returned to the main room of the apartment. Elena was sat, gnawing at her nails and eyes glued to the computer screen, while beside her Alice was looking nervous and excited. Louise tried to think of something to say but couldn't and she turned to leave the room again but go the momentary fright of her life when she found herself looking into the clear blue eyes of the person she's thought of every second since she left. Damon. He did not look happy.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously. Elena's head snapped up at the presence of the vampire.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Louise resorted but then Rose entered the room ad it fell into place; of course she wasn't going to allow them to carry out the plan in peace. "You called him?" Louise had to admit she was a little bit hurt at Rose's intervention.

Rose shrugged. "I'm sorry."

"You sold us out." Elena said, standing from her seat. "You said that you understood."

"She lied." Damon pointed out unnecessarily. Rose looked at him indifferently. Louise was too busy glaring at her boyfriend to notice that Alice had approached them, looking mesmerised by Damon.

"Damon Salvatore!" She cried, sound awestruck.

With an eyebrow raised, Louise turned to look at Alice. "Sorry, he's taken." she responded automatically, feeling a little possessive as she leant in closer to Damon.

Damon looked towards Rose. "Get rid of her." He waved the human away, ignoring his girlfriend's jealousy.

Rose complied and dragged a protesting Alice out of the room, leaving Damon, Louise and Elena in the room. Elena stared at the couple as they glared at each other for a moment. Louise was wrestling with her twin urges of wanting to kiss him and kill him. He would ever understand why she was doing this - he would refuse to understand, in fact, and do everything he could to get in her way, even if it meant that he would end up dead.

He looked down on her and tilted his head toward the door. "Come on. We're leaving."

Louise shook her head stubbornly. "No."

"I said we're _leaving_."

"I'm not going with you."

Irritated, he replied. "You do not get to make decisions anymore." This had to be the absolute worst thing she could ever chose to do, he thought. Absolutely. How much of an idiot was she? And why did she have to be so damn suborn. It drove him insane.

The seer's brow crunched. "I don't need you telling me what to do. And I can make my own decisions. Now this, this is my decision."

He could almost laugh out loud. "Who's gonna save your life while you're out making decisions?"

"You're not listening to me, Damon. I don't want to be saved."

That hit him like a ton of bricks. She didn't want to be saved? He shook his head. "Get your ass out the door before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out myself."

Her eyes became slanted as she considered this threat. When she didn't move, he snatched her arm and she reacted violently by trying to shake him off. He pulled on her. "No." she protested. She pulled and tugged in protest before whipping her hand around to give him a hard slap on the face. _Damn his reflexes_, she scowled. He caught her hand just a second before it impacted with him, his eyes and face showing no fear that she was going to hit him the moment she lifted a finger.

Her hand was beginning to ache as he clutched it. It didn't exactly hurt, but the feeling was uncomfortable. She exhaled pitifully and he drew her closer and closer to him. She found herself stuck gazing into his mysterious blue eyes. He managed to get them so close that she could almost taste his breath. His eyes fluttered to her lips and hers to his.

Whispering now, all while keeping her eyes locked to his, he said. "We are leaving here."

The message was clear but knowing Louise, she had no intention of sticking to it. Her breathing was ragged and he didn't fail to notice. He released her now, and she stared after him unsure of what to do next.

* * *

Stefan watched as Bonnie stood in the centre of the circle that was lit with flames. The witch's eyes were closed as she chanted the spell under her breath. The chanting grew louder as she clenched Luka's necklace in her hand, channelling the warlock. Suddenly, the flames jumped a few centimetres higher just as Vivienne come out the darkness with Katherine in tow, shoving Jeremy along with her.

"Ohhh, something's happening." Vivienne exclaimed enthusiastically. While the Salvatore observed the older vampires, Jeremy's eyes fixed on Bonnie as his features twisted into a worried expression.

"Bonnie, no!" Jeremy rasped. Stefan's eyes flickered to the witch, a look of alarm on his face. "You have to stop her, she's not strong enough!" Jeremy told Stefan just as the flames flared up higher.

"Maybe she is." Katherine muttered under her breath as she glanced over at her sister who shrugged in response. Stefan moved towards the witch, growing more and more worried with the Gilbert boy's protest and the blood that now started to trickle down Bonnie's nose as she continued the spell.

"Bonnie..." Stefan took another step trying to get her to stop. "Bonnie..."

"You gotta stop her!" Jeremy shouted but was put down by Katherine's swift elbow in his face.

Once he saw Jeremy was okay, Stefan returned his attention to Bonnie, grabbing her by her shoulders with a firm hold. "You need to stop. Bonnie!" Bonnie continued chanting the spell as Stefan tried to persuade her to stop. "Bonnie!" The witch dropped to the floor and Stefan was quick, crunching over the unconscious girl and shook her. "Bonnie. Bonnie, wake up, please. Bonnie, wake up. Bonnie."

"Yes, please because we're still in here!" Vivienne sang irritably as she paced around inside the tomb.

Bonnie slowly came back to consciousness, her movements delayed and her eyes blinking rapidly as they adjusted.

Stefan looked over the witch worriedly. "Are you okay? You all right?"

The Bennett witch still felt fuzzy and sat up with Stefan's help then used the vampire's arm to stand herself up. "It didn't work." she whispered with a frown. Bonnie peered into the cave and Stefan held onto her still, making she won't fall back down. She shook her head. "I'm not strong enough. Even with help, I can't do it."

Katherine mockingly pouted. "Ahhh, that's too bad, I'm still hungry." She grabbed Jeremy's shirt and pushed him against the wall. Her fangs extended as she prepared to pierce Jeremy's throat once again. Bonnie screamed out Jeremy's name and Stefan moved fast as he used his vamp speed to get into the tomb, throwing Jeremy over the threshold and retrained Katherine against the wall.

Jeremy fell onto the ground and Bonnie knelt down beside him, wrapping her arms around him. They both looked up at Stefan, realising he was now stuck in the tomb with Katherine and Vivienne. Katherine wore a smug smile as her eyes fixed on Stefan.

"Nice of you to join the party, Stefan." Vivienne said. Her lips twisted into a smirk that reminded Stefan of Damon's. It was easy to see that Damon had picked up several mannerisms from her during the short time they were together and he'd had over a century to perfect them, right down to the last eyebrow arch and lip curl.

* * *

Louise and Elena waited on the couch under the supervision of Rose. Louise's face was pouty and folded her arms over herself. Damon thrust open the door and declared. "Time to go. Alice is soundly sleeping and won't remember a moment of this horribly stupid day."

Elena let out a heavy sigh and stood up however Louise remained seated.

"Get up." Damon demanded.

"No."

Damon opened his mouth to speak but then there was a loud bang. All four heads turned to watch as the front doors to Slater's apartment were knocked open. Three men came wandering in. Damon's reactions was predictable as he pushed Elena and Louise behind him before turning to stare at the three males.

One of them announced their purpose. "We're here to meet the doppelgänger and seer."

Relief rushed through Louise at once. This was their chance. "Seer over here. Thank you for coming." She attempted to take a step forward but was stopped by the hard, tight grip of Damon.

"I will break your arm." He slowly growled through clenched teeth. She looked up at him angerly but he gave no notice. The three men watched on curiously. Damon faced them bravely. "There's nothing here for you."

And just then, the man in the far back fell to the floor with an agonised groan. Behind him stood a man that didn't even react as the body of the man he killed lay there unmoving. The remaining two turned around almost slowly. Elena couldn't help but gasp and Louise stared on, feeling like one of this was real. She was horrified. When he stopped in front of them, Rose started; she vamped out of the apartment in the blink of an eye.

"I killed you. You were dead." Damon blurted out. He had blurted this out because the new man was indeed none other than the original vampire, Elijah. The very Elijah that Damon did kill.

"For centuries now." Elijah quipped dryly with a flourish. "Who are you?" he questioned the man who had spoken to them before. Damon had assumed he was Elijah's minion, but apparently not.

"Who are _you_?" The man asked in a smart ass tone.

The vampire spoke the two magic words which caused fear. "I'm Elijah."

The man's expression turned into shock. His mouth gaped open and his eyes bulged. "We were gonna bring them to you." he explained. "For Klaus. The doppelgänger and the seer. I don't know how they exist, but they do. Klaus will want to see them."

"Does anyone else know that you're here?" Elijah asked in a measured voice.

"No."

"Well, then, you have been incredibly helpful."

His gaze flickered between the two men and before he rammed his fists into their chests. They grunted as he yanked their red bulging organs out through their chest before falling uselessly to the floor. Elena's eyes widened while Louise's jaw dropped and Elijah dropped the hearts casually. The original titled his head the protective stance of Damon in front of the two brunettes, as he prepared to fight. Elijah surprised them all when he turned and sped from the scene.

Damon looked behind him curiously as if making sure Louise and Elena were still there. Louise met her boyfriend's eyes, shock and horror still printed on her face. The Salvatore looked back towards the doors, wondering what the hell just happened.

* * *

"What are we going to do with you?" He smirked, wrapping his arm around the back of her head rest so that his fingertips lightly danced against the back of her neck. Louise shivered involuntarily but remained silent as she stared moodily out the window. Damon rolled his eyes at her stubbornness. "Are you seriously going to ignore me?"

Louise turned and fixed him with her impossibly huge doe-eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and remained annoyingly unresponsive as she turned back to look out the window. From the back backseat Elena sighed heavily. Damon started the ignition with an angry twist of his wrist.

Silence. It lingered in the air, thick and heavy, like a blanket. It was like that for the first ten minutes of the car journey until the eldest Gilbert spoke up.

"Thank you for driving us home." Elena said sincerely to the vampire.

"Well, your ride left you." Damon caught her gaze in the rereview mirror for a brief second. "I couldn't exactly leave you guys stranded."

Elena shook her head as she defended Rose. "She was just scared. She didn't mean to run."

Damon snorted and his grip tightened on the steering wheel. "Yes, she did. She's been running for five hundred years." He reminder her, though he supposed he didn't really blame Rose. She had not long been free being hounded by the originals for allowing Vivienne and Katherine to escape Klaus.

Elena changed the subject quite quickly. "I can't believe Elijah's alive. Why do you think he killed those two vampires and just let us go?" Louise doesn't say anything, as she eyed him out the corner of her eyes, curious as to what he had to say about the whole ordeal.

"If I had a dollar for every time some evil vampire surprised me."

The rest of the journey was filled with silence and as soon as Damon pulled up outside of the Gilbert residence, Elena rushed into the house leaving Louise and Damon on the porch.

"What you did today was incredibly stupid. You offered yourself up to Klaus on a silver platter, Louise." Damon said tiredly. "You were seconds away from dying."

"It doesn't matter." The words were spoken so softly that at first Damon's extra-sensory hearing had trouble catching them. "The only thing that was stupid was that I got caught."

"Excuse me?" he demanded furiously.

"I don't want to be protected if it comes at the cost of you or anyone else I love. I won't be like Vivienne. I'm not accepting casualties just to save my own skin. I won't give up trying to save the people I love."

"Your idea of solution was a dead end, Louise. _Literally_."

"I told you." Louise replied somewhat sullenly. "It was my choice, Damon. God forbid you remember to let me make one. This was my choice and if you hadn't shown up, I would have seen it through. At least Rose understood."

"Rose lied." Damon said impatiently, waving a hand in the air. "And, in case you forgot, she also skedaddled the second Elijah showed up, or did you miss that while you were off making stupid decisions?"

"I'm not some frail doll that has to be protected. I just need you to treat me like a seventeen year old girl, Damon." Her eyes pleaded with him. "I'm in an impossible situation, I know that, but I still need to feel like I'm in control of my own fate. On some level, I know we're all at the mercy of whatever hordes of crazy-ass vampires and werewolves come to town to stake their claim on me, but the only thing keeping me sane right now is the knowledge that in the end, we all make our own choices. Don't take that away from me."

The validity of her little speech touched Damon but he wasn't naïve enough to give in and let her have her own way. Sure he'd let her think she'd won, but at the end of the day, he would be watching out for her and making sure nothing bad happened on his watch.

"Louise," he said slowly. "I can understand your need to save everyone. I can even respect it. But you can't ask me to sit back and let you sacrifice yourself. I'm selfish like that." He flashed her a crooked smile. "I won't let you die for us. I will stop at nothing to keep you safe. I won't coddle you, but you need to understand that I'm still me and I protect what's mine."

Her eyes flashed at the blatantly possessive statement but she said nothing, letting him get out all that he had to say.

"Your plan to give yourself to Klaus was remarkably stupid, reckless, dangerous and on the whole, ill-advised." As he insulter her intelligence, Louise opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off with a gentle finger against her lips. "But it was also incredibly brave and selfless," He finished quietly, taking her hands in his. "And I'm old enough to realise that the strength you have in you won't stifle no matter what I do. I'm not easily impressed by heroic acts of courage, Louise," He gave her hand a squeeze. "But if I wasn't too determined to save you, I would admire your strength."

The seer allowed him to pull her against his chest in a sturdy embrace. She didn't know how to take his words. She supposed she should feel flattered but instead she felt like he was feeding her lines in order to pacify her need to feel in control; as one might humour a stubborn child.

He cradled her against him and she permitted herself to feel soothed by his comfort, even though her mind was flooding with things she wanted to say.

"Damon?" Louise's arms slowly encircled Damon's waist, holding him tightly against her.

"Hmm?"

"I won't let you die for me. No matter what you say. Your life isn't worth less than mine."

They pulled away from each other when the front door opened and Elena was standing there. Her eyes flickered between the couple, and her expression immediately told Louise that something was wrong.

Elena swallowed before she whispered. "It's Stefan."

* * *

**A/N: Well here's a very long overdue chapter! I hope you guys liked it, please drop some feedback if you have time. An as always you can check out my tumblr (tangleddiaries) to see some of the edits I've created.**

**My responses to reviews;**

**Wordspin: I'm really glad you enjoyed that chapter. I do like writing for Vivienne and Klaus, so there's plenty more of their scenes to come.**

**Machala: So glad you're enjoying. :)**

**Ikran . feysal : She never really had a boyfriend but she did have a fling with Tyler but that will be explained more in later chapters where there's flashbacks.**

**AB0918: I'm glad that you're liking it. Hope you enjoy this one too.**

**Sunrise-Escapist: That's coming soon! :)**


	11. By The Light Of The Moon

**By The Light Of The Moon**

* * *

Bonnie came around to see the Gilbert sisters a few couple later, but immediately Louise was met with the impression that her best friend was just there to keep and eye on them.

"We're going to find another way," Bonnie insisted to the girls as Louise sulked. They were all sitting on Elena's bed.

"And when Klaus gets wind of that you're all dead." Louise responded moodily. Bonnie sighed and reached into her bag and pulled out the moonstone, holding it up so that the translucent surface caught the light.

"There's no reason Klaus will find out." Bonnie stated calmly putting the moonstone between them.

Elena looked at the stone thoughtfully. It was hard to believe that Jeremy risked his life for a stone no bigger than a palm of hand. It was even harder to believe that Stefan was now trapped in the tomb with Vivienne and Katherine because of it. "Now that you've got this back, what are you gonna do with it?" she asked.

"Right now, it's what is binding the Sun and the Moon Curse. If I can figure out a way to remove the spell from the stone, the stone becomes useless." Louise arched a single brow at how the witch made it all sound and all Elena heard was the word 'if'. She was past feeling disturbed and freaked out by the curse and now felt oddly peaceful about it all, accepting it as the only course of action.

"And according to Katherine and Vivienne, Klaus becomes vengeful." Anybody who could scare Katherine and Vivienne was somebody they should avoid getting on the wrong side of.

"Maybe." Bonnie answered mildly. "If he finds out."

"Bonnie, can't this wait? Stefan is stuck in the tomb with Katherine. We've got to get him out." Elena said emphatically.

"Stefan wants me to focus on this." Typical Stefan. Both Louise and Elena rolled their eyes.

"Why are you listening to him?" Louise huffed out.

Elena nodded in agreement as she added. "Don't listen to him. He thinks that he's protecting me, but he's wrong."

"I'm taking Stefan's side with this one." Bonnie replied firmly. "We're not gonna let you guys get used in some creepy sacrifice ritual." And so, Elena's one hope was gone. She knew that if Bonnie was willing to side with Stefan and Damon that she and Louise had no hope of any kind of support.

Jeremy was just as vocal in his denouncement of what he called the twins' 'suicide mission' and he told them so at every opportunity, including when Bonnie had left the room to get coffee. Jeremy shook his head at them in clear disappointment, something which made Louise stomach churn. She never wanted to hurt her younger brother, but she wanted him to be safe and as llong as she and Elena were alive; he wasn't; none of them were.

It didn't not escape Elena's notice that Bonnie had slid the moonstone back in her bag before leaving the room. Her mind still on Stefan, Elena had an idea. Quietly, once Jeremy's back was turned, she slipped the moonstone out of Bonnie's bag and into her pocket and grabbed her car keys.

"Let's go, Lou."

Louise trailed behind her sister's crouching form but paused at the top of the stairs in thought; this seemed way to easy. However the older Gilbert girl didn't seem to notice her sister had stopped as she focused on inching down the stairs.

Right on que, Bonnie appeared at the bottom of the stairs, blocking Elena's descend. "Where are you going?"

"Um..." Elena trailed off, her eyes flickering back to her sister as she pleaded for her to come to her rescue. "Louise is taking me to see Stefan."

"You're lying." She'd never been able to lie to Bonnie in all the years they'd been friends. Still, she had no choice.

"No, I'm not."

"Really? Tell your face." Bonnie quipped. Elena bit her lip.

"She took the moonstone." Jeremy's voice joined the din, silencing Elena's further insistence that she was going to pay a visit to Stefan. She turned to look at her brother, stumped. She had definitely been caught out now.

"How did you...?"

"We tested you two; I guess Louise caught on and you failed, Elena." Bonnie answered flatly.

"Klaus killed Vivienne and Katherine's entire family just because they crossed him. I can't let that happen." Elena stated.

Bonnie doesn't respond, she just stepped aside to let the brunette leave. Louise eyebrow raised as she watched the witch's actions before a flash of realisation hit her. Elena looked mildly confused and Louise opened her mouth to warn her sister but it was too late as she watched the older brunette open the door and slammed right into an invisible barrier. Elena spun around to look at Bonnie.

"What did you do?" Elena questioned as she slammed her hand on the barrier, to no avail.

* * *

"You trapped them in the house?" Stefan questioned. The disapproving tone not missed in his voice.

"It's for the best. Trust me." Damon assured him. "Elena is on a martyr tear that rivals your greatest hits."

"And Louise?" Stefan prompted.

""On a journey to fulfil her suicide mission of trying to save everyone around her." Damon breathed and Stefan hung his head. "You should be glad the witch and I are even getting along." The younger Salvatore crossed his arms and Damon continued. "I brought you this." Damon tossed a bag over the tomb's threshold. "Care package: candles, lanterns and..." He whipped out a bottle red substance. "Lunch."

"Give that to me and I'm just gonna have to share it with them." Stefan told his brother. Damon peered inside the tomb to see Katherine narrowing her eyes and Vivienne with a smug smirk.

"Yeah..." Damon trailed off.

"You two are surprisingly calm, considering Klaus will hunt you down and kill you if you mess with his little plan." Katherine announced.

"I've been dead before. I got over it." Damon said and returned his attention to his brother. "Once we deal with this moonstone, we'll figure a way to get you out."

"Don't worry about me." Stefan replied. "Just make sure Elena and Louise are safe." Katherine rolled her eyes from inside the tomb.

* * *

So, the Gilbert twins was trapped inside, prisoners in their own home, just as much as Stefan was a prisoner in the tomb. Elena had threw herself at the invisible magical barrier all over the house to no avail, until she had to give up; opting to lock herself in her room.

For the moment, Louise was trapped as she lounged on the couch in the living room staring blankly at the tv screen. If someone was to ask her what she was watching, she'd have absolutely no idea. Over the course of the day, she had a lot of time to stew, so by the time Damon arrived she had built up a head of steam.

"You should really lock your door." He quipped as he stepped into the living room. Louise pulled a face, scowling him, as she tried desperately to hold onto her anger. Damon sighed, sitting himself lazily beside her on the couch, and putting his arm around her carelessly. Even in the depths of her frustration, Louise felt the familiar tug of desire that she always felt whenever Damon was close to her. However, she staunchly ignored it. "Oh, come on, pouty -cheer up. You're sitting next to the most handsome vampire in Mystic Falls. Doesn't that count for something?" Damon smiled finally catching her cloudy stare.

"You know it amazes me that you can make comments like that after the week we've had." She sighed. "How do you do that?"

"Easy. I'm an ass." Damon announced with pompous glee in his eye. After Louise's patented eye roll as he continued dramatically. "It took years of practice and honing, but here I stand today and I'm proud to admit I've perfected the craft. I could teach you if you wanted." He smiled as he leaned just a bit closer to her with amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Ahh, no thanks. I mean you pull it off so well, I'd just be a disappointment to you." she announced deciding to follow his sarcastic lead.

"Well, you'll never be as good as me, but then again who could be." Damon winked. "That doesn't mean you wouldn't make a worthy understudy."

"I'm sure I will regret this, but I must decline." Louise said with an overdramatic squint to her eyes and hand to her heart.

Just then Elena stomped into the living room, plopping down on the couch next to her sister. "So, what does Stefan say about this?" She gestured around the living room with a huff.

"We had a good laugh." Damon said, with a slightly threatening air around him.

"And what did he say about Elijah still being alive?"

"I didn't tell him."

It soon became clear that things were only going from bad to worse. There was no chance of either Elena or Louise escaping with both Damon and Jeremy watching them and then, on top of that, Alaric called with the news that Mason Lockwood had been officially declared as a missing person. At this point, none of them had really thought of Mason for a while given everything else going one, despite the fact that tonight would be Tyler's first full moon as a werewolf.

"Apparently some girl from Florida turned up looking for Mason." Damon said grimly once he'd hung up the call and turned to face his girlfriend who now stood with folded arms behind him.

"What girl?" Louise asked the same question she heard Damon ask on the phone to Alaric.

"Nobody knows, but I have to check this out." He sighed, running his hand over Louise's face. Damon looked over at Jeremy, who lay down on the couch, resting his head on Elena's lap. "Your turn to babysit." His expression turned humorous as his eyes darted between the twins. "Hey, you know you guys should get out - enjoy the sun - oh wait, you can't."

In union, Louise smacked the vampire's arm just as a cushion came hurling at him. Jeremy laughed and Elena pushed him off of her and he rolled onto the floor.

* * *

_Dear diary,_

_I'm sorry it's been a while. Lately I've been too busy or too depressed - or both - to write to you. Well, I am writing to you a prisoner - a prisoner in my own home. Damon and Bonnie thought it would be best for Elena and I to be trapped inside unable to complete our 'suicide mission' as Damon calls it. He says Stefan is also in on this plan but I couldn't think that Stefan would agree to keep us prisoner. That was a little extreme to say the least.  
_

Louise sat at her window seat, diary on her lap. Tapping her pen against the pages of the small book with purple leather cover, she thought for a moment, and then bent her head again and began writing but was interrupted when Jeremy entered her room through their joint bathroom. He lightly knocked on the wall and the brunette looked up but seeing who it is, she returned her attention to her diary.

"Look, I'm worried about Bonnie." Jeremy announced as he stepped into her room.

Without looking up from her diary, Louise responded. "Bonnie who?" She paused, pretending to think for a moment. "Oh, wait my former best friend Bonnie?"

"Seriously she shouldn't be doing all these spells." His said in a serious tone.

"Well where was your concern before when she put me on magical house arrest?"

The younger Gilbert took a seat on the edge of her bed, facing her. He took a moment before he spoke again. "Look, Bonnie and I have been talking and getting closer."

This made Louise's ears perk up and she turned to him with a raised brow. "You and Bonnie are-"

"No, it's nothing like that." Jeremy cut her off with a shake of his head. "She wants nothing to do with me - she wants to be friends." This part was said sadly but he didn't doubt on it too long, shaking those thoughts out his head and focused on the important topic at hand. "She told me all this witchcraft she's been doing...it hurts her." Louise closed her diary, swinging her legs off her window seat and focused her attention on Jeremy.

After her conversation with her brother, the day passed depressingly slowly. The sun beat down outside brightly and warmly and Louise started to wish she could just be out in it for the sake of it. She passed most of the excruciatingly boring hours in her room. She tried to read for a bit but when that couldn't occupy her, she gave up. She heard the front door close and ran down the steps, hoping Damon was back from his mission with Ric. Instead, she practically bumped into Elena at the bottom of the stairs who watched their aunt rifling through the closet.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Elena was the one to ask as the two brunette looked on.

"Please tell me, you're spring cleaning." Louise added.

"Not at all but perfect timing." Jenna said, thrusting a box into Elena's arms and she took it, confused.

"What is this stuff?" There seemed to be a bunch of files and papers.

"Your mom's files from the Historical Society. I got roped into helping Mrs. Lockwood and by roped, I mean very excited to participate." Jenna quipped sarcastically. Louise couldn't help but chuckle at her aunt's predictable sardonic reaction to any overly pious town events. Her smile fell from her face, however when Jena closed the closet door to reveal Elijah standing behind it. Both the twins froze but then, prompted by Elijah's pointed look and greeting, they were forced to act natural in front of Jenna.

"Hey, I'm Elijah." He greeted them. Elena swallowed thickly, taking a sneaky glance to the side at her sister.

"Elijah's in town doing research on Mystic Falls." Jenna informed them.

"It's a pleasure." Elijah came closer and held out his hand to Louise first. They shook hands and Loise felt a prickle of nerves and fear run down her spin. Although she wanted to hand herself over to Klaus - Elijah was probably the only way of doing that, she was still alarmed to realised an Original had been invited into her home.

Elijah turned to Elena, taking her hand. Elena was visibly nervous as she stared into he face of the man that had killed several vampires before her very eyes.

"So you're welcome to stay here and rummage through this stuff or the three of us could help you load it into your car." Jenna offered in a friendly way.

"Or I can get someone to pick it up tomorrow." Elijah suggested politely in return.

"Also a good plan." Jenna agreed.

"Thank you so much for inviting me into your home, Jenna; and Elena, Louise..." He added, eyes darting between the two brunettes. "I hope to see you again sometime soon."

Swallowing and fighting to control her breathing, Louise waited until the front door closed behind Elijah before bolting up the stairs, Elena right behind her. She banged on Jeremy's door but even as she did that, she felt Elijah grab her wrist. Scared, Louise tried to shake him off, but then Jeremy opened his bedroom door.

"What is it?" Jeremy asked. In union, Louise and Elena glanced at where Elijah was hiding behind the door, motioning them not to reveal his presence.

"Oh, nothing really." Louise replied, trying to act as casual as possible.

"Jenna was just asking me to get you to help her with the boxes." Elena added. She was relieved her words came out fairly convincingly and not grabled and panicked. Jeremy heeded what she said and headed downstairs, leaving them along with the original vampire.

Louise looked at her sister before she taking a deep breath, Louise took Elena's hand before she beckoned Elijah into her room, where she closed the door behind them. He looked around with some interest at his surroundings, taking in everything, before he turned to speak to the twins.

"Forgive the intrusion. I mean your family no harm." He informed them simply. He seemed very calm and yet purposeful at the same time. Something about the way he spoke made Louise believe his words, although he still made her nervous.

Louise opened her mouth but instead of all the things she thought she would say, something else came out. "Why did you kill those vampires when they tried to take us?" It sounded like an accusation and she could tell he's confused but it hadn't made any sense to her at the time and she hadn't been able to figure it out since. Nobody had seemed very interest in discussing it with her either.

"Because I didn't want you two to be taken." Elijah replied. "Klaus is the most feared and hated of the Originals, but those that fear him are desperate for his approval. If word gets out that the doppelgänger and the seer exists, there'll be a line of vampires eager to take you to him and I can't have that."

"Isn't that exactly what you're trying to do?" Elena asked, slightly confused.

"Let's just say that my goal is not to break the curse."

"So, enlighten us, what is your goal?" Louise asked with folded arms.

What Louise and Elena heard next left them reeling, but it fit into place. Elijah wasn't trying to have them killed, he revealed; he was using them to lure Klaus out of hiding and then he was going to kill him. But the integral part of his plan was the twins had to remain where they were.

"I am willing to make a deal with you two." Elijah announced.

* * *

Vivienne threw a small rock that was on the ground over to the other wall across from her and sighed for the millionth time as Katherine's voice broke through the void of silence. "Are we seriously not going to talk at all?" she questioned looking between Stefan and her sister.

"We could talk about how you regret all you've done to make mine and Damon's life miserable." Stefan answered under his breath.

"What do you want me to say, Stefan?" Katherine looked over at Stefan. "That I'm sorry for everything that I've done? Well I'm not, okay? It's called self-preservation. We've been looking out for myself for fiver hundred years."

"Look where it has gotten you." He glanced around the dim lit cave.

"Yes, I've done terrible things." Vivienne threw another rock as hard as she could to the other side of the tomb. It hit the rock wall with a loud thud, before falling onto the ground in pieces. We both have. I, however, do not regret it." The brunette hissed as she rose from her spot and walked away.

"I know that we've done terrible things, but I do love you, Stefan." Katherine told him. "Even if you don't believe it.

"You want me to believe you? Show me." Stefan said, standing up. "Do something. Prove to me that there's something inside of you that's actually worth trusting."

"And then what? You're still gonna hate me." Katherine pointed out.

Stefan shrugged. "Maybe and maybe I'll see that there's still hope for you after all."

"You're playing me."

"Am I?"

Katherine sighed inwardly. "You want to find Klaus? Kill him so that you can protect your precious Elena and Louise?"

"Let me guess: you know where he is." The Salvatore assumed.

"No, I don't." Katherine replied quickly. "But I could help you find him."

Stefan narrowed his eyes. "For a price I'm sure."

"Start with Isobel, Elena and Louise's mother. She was a research expert. She found me." The older vampire shrugged. Stefan only stared at her, not saying a word. "You're welcome."

There was big crash that came from outside the tomb. Katherine, Stefan and Vivienne all rushed to the opening, surprised to see Elijah standing on the opposite side of the threshold with a smug smile planted on his lips.

"Elijah." Vivienne and Katherine breathed at the same and they both took a step back.

"Good evening. Katerina. Viviana." His eyes darted between the two vampires. "Thank you for having the good sense to be frightened." No one spoke for a moment. The original darted his eyes towards Stefan. "Your release has been requested."

Stefan furrowed his brows. "What? By who?"

"The lovely Elena and Louise drive a hard bargain. However, we reached a peaceful agreement. Please." He took a step aside and gestured for the Salvatore to walk out the tomb. "Come."

"I can't." Stefan said simply.

"Yes, you can. I've had the spell lifted."

Stefan hesitated at first as he edged towards the threshold. He slowly took a step and too his surprise the invisible barrier had gone. He wasted no time fully stepping out the tomb. Once Stefan made it out, Vivienne and Katherine took the opportunity to escape but the invisible barrier was back up.

Elijah stepped in front of them and began compelling them. "As for you both, however, you should not exit until I say so. When Klaus comes, he'll want to know exactly where you are." He turned back to the gawking Stefan. "You're free to go. Elena will explain the arrangement to you. If she keeps her word, I'll keep mine."

"Stef, come one." Vivienne called. "You're not gonna really let him leave us in here?"

Katherine shook her head. "Stefan, no."

"Goodbye ladies." The Salvatore didn't spare a second glance at them before he took his leave. Elijah's eyes never stopped flickering between Katherine and Vivienne's face as their faces changed from hopeful to desperate with Stefan's dying footsteps.

Katherine's gaze reluctantly flickered to Elijah, fear mixed with despair and a fierce need of self-preservation. "Elijah." she whispered, voice cautious, almost pleading. "Get us - _out_ \- of this tomb."

Weighing her fate in the balance, wielding the power of life and death over her existence had once been a much-awaited reward. So why did it only fill him with such bitterness? Elijah sighed, his voice dry and emotionless. "The time for pleading mercy is long since passed."

"We'll make a deal with you -" She looked towards Vivienne who nodded eagerly at the original.

"Neither of you have anything that I want." His eyes were resolute as glass.

"We'll help you protect Louise and Elena," Katherine said quickly. "Every vampire working for Klaus is going to be heading to Mystic Falls. Think how much safer they'll be if they find _us_ instead-"

"Not good enough. I know you too well, Katerina. You would flee the moment I let you both out of this tomb." As his words sunk in, Katherine face tightened and her eyes obtained a steely glint. "I have spent too long searching for your whereabouts to lose you again."

This time it was Vivienne to chime in. "You can't leave us here."

"Can't I?" he questioned casually. "I have no reason to think otherwise."

"Please." She was definitely pleading, though she managed to keep her tone dignified. Vivienne had never been a beggar nor did it seem she'd ever stoop to such level. "We won't run, I promise. We can help you."

"The last time I trusted you two to keep your word, you ran off the first chance that presented itself. You must know that your pleas fall to deaf ears, I won't be fooled twice."

It was remarkable how her face changed in an instant when she realised her tactics weren't working. She was like a chameleon the way and she had nothing to slow her down - no capacity for regret, no visible shame when caught with a lie. In a blink of an eye her resigned look was replaced with a confident, challenging one whereas her mouth had curved into a mocking smile.

Vivienne rolled her eyes. "Oh, Elijah, don't be so dull."

"Goodbye, Katerina. Goodbye, Viviana." And Elijah walked away - not daring to look back, leaving them alone together in the dark, with only the shadows for solace.

* * *

Distracted, Louise walked into her bedroom, gasping when she noticed someone else was there, sitting by the windowsill, head bowed and hands clasped tightly together in front of him.

"Damon!" Louise said with one hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath. "You have got to stop doing that!"

Damon looked up with a fierce expression, the effort to control his emotion apparent. "Louise, did anyone not tell you there's a policy not to negotiate with terrorists?"

"What are you talking about, Damon?" Louise asked, honestly confused as she watched him stand up without making any move to come closer.

"I would have figured out a way to get Stefan out - making a deal with Elijah was totally unnecessary, Louise." Damon stated angrily. "You can't trust him."

"And what, I should trust you?" Louise countered. "You...who had the _brilliant_ idea to seal me inside my own home, that when Elijah found a way insdie I realised I had no way of getting out? I think _you_ should tell me what that you were thinking!"

Damon's mouth fell open in surprise, unable to speak for a few seconds. He took a step closer to her before responding, letting out an exasperated as he did. "Fine, I admit I did not see that one coming. But it's not my fault your aunt remains blissfully ignorant to the supernatural creatures running rampant in this town. It's not my fault she invited the most unfortunate guests to your house." Louise shook her head. There was a moment of silent. "Louise," The vampire said tiredly. "You just volunteered to become the bait. Do you know the odds of the bait surviving something like this? Slim to none, Louise. You either end up in hospital with serve internal bleeding or six feet under."

"I don't care," Louise said stubbornly. "It doesn't matter to me. I've said it once and I'll say it again - I won't give up trying to save the people that I love. And right now, that deal is the best shot we've got at getting through this."

"Stand around, do nothing, wait for Klaus to sniff you out and then cross our fingers that Elijah will get close enough to rip his heart out before someone suddenly decides that breaking the curse is more important and bleeds you out over that moonstone." Damon said incredulously.

"Louise, you need to be smart not suicidal." Damon took a deep breath and placed his hands on her arms and forced her to face him. "You don't think I don't get why you feel like saving people around you? I don't question that - you're that kind of person and precisely why I love you. What I cannot comprehend is why you lack a sense of self-preservation when you do it. Louise, you don't have to lay your life and wait for a truck to run you over to save a life. I should know - you've done it for mime without shedding a single drop of your blood."

"I just can't watch when I can do something about it, Damon." Louise spat out.

"I'm not saying get yourself some popcorn and watch the festivities, Louise." Damon resorted. "I'm just saying you don't have to run towards the killer with a target painted on you - front and back. All I'm saying is let us try and be awesome, courtsey of our nifty little plan, then maybe Klaus won't even get to come close enough to toch a seingle hair on your hair. If not then, we figure it out when we get that particular fork in the road - but not a moment sooner. Do you hear me?"

The seer closed her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking, feeling Damon's hands fall away as she relaxed. "Do you remember Atlanta?"

"Of course," Damon said shrugging his shoulders. "Drunk Louise was fun and how can I forget having my legs whacked, then getting soaked in gasoline. Fun times."

"Do you remember when you almost burned in my dad's old building? Do you remember the night of the carnival? When Bonnie tried to burn you?" Louise questioned softly. "Or when Caroline's mum tried to kill you?"

"Yes to all, Louise." Damon said slowly, confusion laced his voice as he tried to figure out her words. "I remember with blinding clarity...what are you getting at?"

"I'm done watching, Damon." she whispered. "I'm done begging for your life - not when I can finally do something about it, when the answer is in my control. I can't keep waiting for the moment when words won't be enough, when I miss my chance to save you...my heart can only take so much, Damon."

The Salvatore was silent for a moment, his eyebrows knitted together in concentration as he struggled to find the right words, watching Louise's eyes glisten with unshed tears. "Thank you."

"What?" Louise asked, her head snapping up in surprise.

"I keep forgetting to tell you...what I mistakenly told Vivienne that night, here...on this porch." Damon said with a sad some. "Somewhere along the way, you decided I was worth saving and I wanted to thank you for that."

"You do know I would do anything for you right?"

"If you make blush any harder, I'll be redder than your panty drawer." Damon replied and Louise rolled her eyes playfully. "In all seriousness, I do. And I'm bewildered at the fact. It's my job to do anything and everything for you."

* * *

**A/N**

**Hello everyone, after a million and a half years I have returned. I took some time off to deal with personal stuff and I am starting to get my muse back so hopefully there will be more chapters in the coming weeks. I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone that took time to leave me a review and I am amazed at how many I received on the last chapter and I am glad you guys are liking this story so far. Anyways...I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.**

**My responses to reviews;**

**BluebloodsSVUOrder: I guess you're gonna have to keep reading to find this one out.**

**team steroline mom: So happy you like it.**

**Only reviewer: Yes, Damon and Stefan defo do have their hands full with not only one but two girls with a death wish haha.**

**Wordspin: Yes, that is exactly how I want their relationship to be.**

**Mia Salvatore: Yay! So glad you like and that you're enjoying Louise and Damon scenes.**

**K8lindanielle: So glad you do and there's more coming!**

**ikran. feysal: Here's the update! :)**

**lexicaruso: This made me so happy to read. Glad you like. And nope I defo have not given up on this story haha.**

**brina1: Here's some more, hope you enjoy. Louise killing Vivienne...that is a thought.**

**musicnlyrics: Yay! So so glad you enjoy.**

**DaWnSpRiDe: Here's some more for you. I do really enjoy writing for Louise and Damon so I guess I also love their romance haha.**


	12. The Descent

**The Descent**

* * *

Rose was undeniably getting sicker as the hours ticked by. She was resting on the sofa in the library, her favourite room of the Boarding House. Damon brought her some blood, but he had to admit, he felt a little lost. It was his fault Rose was going through this, there was no way around that.

"I was born in 1450, that makes me five hundred and sixty years old." she informed him.

"Well, if you were a bottle of wine..." Damon quipped.

"So I can die. I've lived long enough." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him.

"You know, if you're gonna be morn, I'm just gonna kill you myself just to put me out of your misery." Damon threatened. If he kept making jokes then the situation wouldn't seem so serious. They still didn't know for sure that werewolf bites were fatal, after all. As it was, he decided to work on the theory that blood would build Rose's strength up. So, he poured her a glass. "Come on, it's just a little werewolf bite." He coaxed as she accepted the blood.

"Just a little, fatal to a vampire werewolf bite." Rose scoffed weakly.

"Well, according to a legend which is notoriously unreliable source. Drink up." Rose laughed, shaking her head before taking a drink of the blood. Damon watched her hopefully. "Blood heals."

"Yeah, it does feel like it's working." Rose nodded and he did see a little colour return to her cheeks.

"Let's have a look, come on. Let me see." Even though he'd asked for it, he still winced when he saw the bite mark. Rose turned to show how it had spread down her neck and it looked even more infected than before. He fought to keep a straight face.

Just then Elena sauntered into the study to find Damon leaning over Rose, examining her wound with furrowed brows. The vampire's shoulder did not look good in the slightest.

"'Lena?" Louise appeared beside her with a look of surprised. "When did you get here?"

"A while ago." Elena shrugged as her eyes fell on the white gauze in her hands. "What's that for?"

"Huh?" Louise frowned before she followed her sister's gaze to the bundle of bandages that she held. "Ohh - it's for Rose. She's..."

"Better." Damon's voice cut in from across the room. "Right, Louise?"

"Um, yeah." Louise managed to say. He looked over at her. She looked very uncomfortable.

"Where's Stefan?"

"He left." Elena told him. "I need you to talk to him. He's convinced that he has to find Isobel."

"As in our birth mother?" Louise frowned as she handed Damon the gauze. Elena was relieved to heard she wasn't the only one who didn't like the idea of Isobel returning to town.

"No, can do." Damon shook his head as he pulled away from Rose. "I'm with Stefan on this one." He moved a few steps closer to Louise, trying to look into her eyes but she was distracted by the sight of Rose. "Would you, uh, mind sitting in here for a while?" he asked her quietly.

"It's not necessary." Rose called.

"Yes, it is." Damon stated firmly. He didn't want Rose to be alone when she died and he didn't know how long it would be before she did. He side stepped Louise and headed out the room. If anything he just needed to get out of the house for a while before he went insane, let alone everything else that needed to be done.

"Damon..." Louise had followed him out, her voice soft as she called after him. He turned to face her. "Is she gonna die?"

"Probably." There was no point lying about it at this stage. "The wolf bite caused some kind of infection and it's getting worse." He didn't want Rose to overhear this so he kept his voice quiet, though he was sure she was perfectly aware of what was happening to her. He could tell she was afraid of dying and he didn't want to make it worse, especially when she was only dying because she tried to protect him.

"Like poison?" Louise asked, frowning.

"I don't know, Louise. I'm not an expert in the field." he replied tiredly.

She bit her lip sadly. "I'm sorry."

"Death happens." he said ruthlessly, with a nonchalance he didn't feel. "We come, we go. Sooner she dies the better. It's gloomy as hell in here." He was aiming to leave but Louise took his hand, tugging on it gently. Damon reluctantly turned around to look at her.

"Damon, you don't have to pretend not to be hurt." she murmured. Hadn't he told her something very similar once before? He looked down at her. He felt like he was on the precipice of never ending cliff drop, his emotions a blur, but something about her brown eyed gaze steadied him a little.

"I'll be just fine, Louise. Don't worry about me." He promised, knowing it wouldn't make a difference to her concern for him.

* * *

Just after Elena's own departure only a few moments ago, Louise re-entered the living room, Rose was shivering.

"Pathetic, isn't it?" The English vampire laughed, her teeth chattering.

"Come on." Louise said, with a tug of sympathy. She held a shaky Rose up the stairs and into the room Rose had been staying in. She hadn't had many possessions, given how long she had been on the move, so the room was sparse, but Louise tucked her into the warm bed.

"I hate this. I'm a vampire, I haven't had a cold in five centuries." Rose complained. "We don't get sick. When we die, it's fast and sudden and it's certainly not drawn out in illness."

"You're not gonna die." Louise told her with a wrench.

"Such a human thing to say."Rose chuckled. Louise sat down on the edge of the bed. Maybe she should have taken her too Damon's room, which was more hospitable, but the big bed she had slept in herself so many time was a haven she didn't want spoilt by death, no matter how selfish that might seem. Rose didn't seem to mind, though.

"You're lucky, you know. No-one's ever loved me the way Damon loves you." Louise supposed she wasn't surprised Rose was bringing this of all things up with her - she and Damon were good friends now, after all.

"I doubt that." Louise responded. Who wouldn't love Rose?

"Trevor was my best friend. Nothing more. I spent all those years on the run from Elijah. I just never thought it was a good idea to set up roots. The whole idea of family is not exactly compatible with being a vampire." She seemed like she was about to continue but then she changed her mind, watching Louise. The latter was picking at loose thread in the covers. "Why are you so eager to give up?"

Rose asked her finally.

"I'm not giving up on anything." Louise insisted, sounding miserable to her own ears.

"What do you call this whole deal with Elijah?"

"I call it my best option." Louise replied, a little defensively.

"It's your easiest option." That was blow.

Louise had had the same thought, late at night when she couldn't sleep; everyone else was determined to find another way out of this curse - by dismantling it, eliminating the components, by hiding Louise and Elena - but allowing Elijah to kill Klaus was the most certain way. Nobody else had to get hurt as long as she stuck to her agreement.

"At least I ran." Rose was saying sleepily. "You're not even trying." It stung but perhaps only because a part of Louise felt that this was true.

The brunette watched as Rose's eyes drifted shut. Meaning to leave her to sleep, Louise rose and made an effort to leave, but then Rose spoke.

"No, stop, wait. Tell them to prepare the horses." Rose called.

"It's okay Rose." Louise told her, thinking she was talking in her sleep. "Just get some sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up." And if she didn't wake up, at least the pain would be over for her.

"Trevor, don't be so stupid. You're never going to make it there before the sun." Louise frowned but then shrugged - Rose must be having a fever dream. But then suddenly the vampire bolt upright, eyes open, clearly pained. "Louise! Louise, I need more blood!" Louise hurried over to Rose with the glass of blood that Damon had left with her. Rose drank deeply but then immediately began coughing all the blood back up, sending it spraying all over herself and the bed.

"It's okay." Louise tried to sooth. "Everything's gonna be alright!" she hurried to the bathroom to try and get something to clean up the blood with and maybe some water. When she returned to the room, Rose was not on the bed. "Rose?" she called out, worried.

She slowly turned around to find Rose standing right behind her, looking angry. She grabbed Louise and shoved her against the wall so that was unable to move. The brunette had no chance of fighting the vampire.

"It's all your fault, Viviana." Rose accused. "You Viviana, you did this." Louise gulped, alarmed. Rose's lips peeled back to reveal sharp fangs and the veins around her eyes were darkening with fury.

"It's Louise. Rose, Rose! I'm Louise!"

"You betrayed us!"

"I'm not Vivienne!" Louise cried, scared. If she could not convince the vampire to snap out of this delusion then she was in big trouble - neither Damon nor Stefan were around and she couldn't fight Rose. But after a moment, Rose released her. Slowly, the veins around her eyes faded and her pupils seemed to focus more sharply.

"Louise?" Rose asked.

"It's me, it's Louise." she repeated with a gasp of relief.

"Oh my god, Louise. I'm so sorry. I don't know what's happening to me." Rose said, looking horrified, her voice cracking on the last word. "I'm sorry. My mind, I'm..."

"It was just for a second." Louise tried to reassure her, though she was shaken. She was trying to usher Rose back to bed.

"I'm sorry." Rose apologised again. "Don't be scared of me."

"I'm not. I'm not, but you need to rest." Rose lay back on the bed, shivering slightly. She looked truly afraid now, far more than she had before and Louise wondered what was going on. Was it normal to act that way after being bitten by a werewolf?

"I'm scared." Rose admitted after a while.

"You're not alone. I'm right here." Louise squeezed her hand, feeling sorry for her.

"Here, where's here?" She was becoming disoriented again, which worried Louise a little. What if she mistook her for Vivienne and attacked again? However, Rose's strength was fading as she watched.

"The Salvatore house - Damon's house." Louise replied soothingly. Rose swallowed.

"St. Austell, thirty kilometres south of London. With fields and trees and horses." Rose smiled a little at the distant memories of days long gone.

"Sounds beautiful." Louise muttered.

"When you live long enough, everything disappears. So much time wasted, I just wish I wouldn't have been so afraid...I wish I'd been brave, like you." Louise stared down at the vampire wordlessly. Rose seemed to be falling into something of a troubled sleep. She had never thought of herself as brave, really, just as somebody who kept going no matter how hard the going got, but Rose had already told her she thought she was taking the easy way out.

Louise sighed as she left Rose alone; the vampire must have thought she was somebody else again.

* * *

**"**I brought some clean sheets." Louise called as she sauntered into the room once again, carrying new sheets she'd found in the hallway closet. But of course, like last time, Rose had disappeared.

"Not again." Louise huffed as she placed the sheets on the small patch of white bedding that was not covered in blood and scanned the empty room, almost expecting the vampire to jump out from the dark corners at any given moment.

The brunette quickly fished out her phone from her jean pocket and dialled the familiar number.

"Louise?" Damon's silky voice echoed through the phone after one ring.

"Hey, I'm worried about Rose." Louise stated, keeping her voice down.

"Why?" He became urgent, his tone taking a darker edge. "Did she do something to you?"

"No...no. At least, not yet." The brunette hesitated. "But I think you should come home unless you want to find my throat ripped out-" She was cut off as a vision flooded her senses.

_"Rose?" Louise called as she slowly walked towards an open door from which she heard a loud noise. Basement._

_The hallway down the stairs was a dull, gray and lifeless as ever. A flash of dark caught her eyes and her gaze turned down as she saw an empty blood bag on the cement floor, the blood still dripping on the hard ground. Picking it up, she inched further into the hallway, heard a weird noise that sounded like scrambling and growling._

_The light revealed Rose, was was sucking away at a blood bag. Blood covered her face and drenched her clothes. Empty blood bags were strewn around, used up and flat._

_"Oh my gosh." Louise whispered out of shock._

_Bad move. Rose turned her feral gaze on the brunette and dropped the blood bag, staring at her as if she was her next meal._

_"Viviana."_

_Louise slowly back away. "No, Rose." __Rose sprung towards Louise from where she was crouched on the floor. Louise ran the opposite direction, knowing full well she wasn't about to outrun a vampire but at the moment, this vampire was weak and delusional. "Rose, stop, stop, it's Louise. I'm not Vivienne. You're hallucinating. I'm not Vivienne. I'm not Vivienne."_

_Rose seemed to relax at first but suddenly, her eyes blazed again as she caught Louise's shoulder and roughly shoved her to the floor. Her fangs hoovered only inches from the brunette's face. Louise looked around the room, looking for a sharp wooden pointy thing. Unfortunately, vampires don't keep objects that could potentially kill them, in their own house._

_However, there were other ways to hurt a vampire. Reaching behind her, Louise felt the cool glass from the window, and next to that, the curtains. Yanking the curtains to the side, she allowed the sunlight to stream in. Rose immediately started to scream and burn up. She sat back on her heals in pain as she tried to get out of the sun.  
_

The vision ended and Louise inhaled sharply, she could almost feel the pain from the vision of Rose's hand on her should and her descent to the floor.

Quickly, Louise made the decision to run to Damon's room. Locking the door, she glanced over to her side and spotted a heavy armoire. She pushed it in front of the door, hoping it would provide as an obstacle if Rose came looking for her. She then moved to the windows, pulling the curtains open so the sun would reach every corner in the room.

Louise walked over to a chair and with all the strength she could muster, she broke the chair to gain a stake from it's leg.

* * *

When Damon returned home, the place was dark and quiet and his girlfriend stood before him, clutching a stake, looking terrified.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, immediately rushing over to her. "Where's Rose?"

"I don't know." she murmured, glancing around through the shadows.

Damon listened with all his might but heard no sound of anybody else in the house, though he checked every room just be sure. When he was certain Rose was no longer in the house, he returned to where Louise stood in the living room, sticking clutching at the stake.

"She kept thinking I was Vivienne...it was like she was hallucinating, but it was getting worse." she explained, sound traumatised as she relived the vision of Rose attacking her. "She just wasn't herself and then she must have gone somewhere."

"Hey," Damon said, leading her gently over to the sofa and sitting her down. He removed the stake from her hand. "She never would have wanted to hurt you."

"I know, when she...when she was more herself, she kept apologising. I just...seeing her like that..." Damon nodded. He wouldn't to see Rose, or anybody, really, in that state. He also hated the idea that Louise had got caught in the crossfire - he should have been around to keep and eye on Rose. "Where do you think she went?" Louise asked him.

"I don't know, but she can't have gotten far in that condition." he told her. Privately, he thought they were like to find out from the trail of bodies Rose was bound to leave behind her. Louise seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"We should look for her." she stated.

"I'll go. You stay here." Damon told her. Louise fixed him with a hard look.

"I'm coming with you." There was no point trying to argue with her, he could tell as much from the glint in her eyes and so he allowed her to come along.

"Do you think she's in the woods somewhere?" Louise asked as they headed outside. She was peering towards the trees that surrounded the Salvatore Boarding House.

"No. She'll be wherever there are people." Damon replied grimly. Louise was far past being surprised by that, she just stood by and waited for him to unlock his car before climbing into the passenger side. Damon began a slow drive, both her and Louise checking their surroundings just in case Rose was close by, but everything was quiet.

"What did Jules say about the cure?" Louise questioned gently after a while. They were approaching the centre of town now. Damon shrugged.

"There isn't one." He tried to sound like he didn't care.

"I'm sorry." Louise said, seeing right through his bravado as always.

"She said I should put her out of her misery." he admitted slowly. "Maybe.." They were interrupted by his phone ringing. Damon glanced down at the device and saw that it was Sheriff Forbes calling; he took it that they had found Rose after all.

The Sheriff's call took them to the school. While Damon was convening with the Sheriff, Louise tried to observe the damage while remaining inconspicuous. It seemed that a man had died and it was undeniably a vampire attack. Usually Louise was more scared for her friends and what might happen to them with a rampant vampire on the loose, but right then she was more afraid for Rose. If the Sheriff or any of the deputies found her, they would stake her - and really, none of this was her fault. Rose wouldn't be doing this if she hadn't been bitten. From what Louise had seen of the vampire's behaviour, the bite was affecting her mind, making her irrational and delusional.

The seer found herself watching Damon. He played his part of concerned citizen very well. Soon enough he returned to her.

"Take this." He handed her a wooden stake. Louise turned it over in her hand, frightened; she didn't want to have to hurt Rose. However, she swallowed her fears and looked up at Damon, meeting his crystal eyes. "Come one."

Louise followed him towards the school. Students were around, talking about what had happened. The story going around was that the maintenance man that Rose had killed had a heart attack. Damon was listening harder thought, to things Louise's human ears couldn't pick up on. They were still crossing the parking lot when suddenly Damon vanished from her side.

Louise blinked, confused and looked around. The vampire was now on the other side of the parking lot beside a car, pinning a thrashing Rose to the ground. Louise ran over to them, wishing she could vamp over in an instant like Damon done.

"Rose!" Damon tried to reason. "Rose, it's me, it's Damon! Damon!"

Rose's vampire face, complete with fangs and red eyes, receded as she seemed to return to her normal self, as she had earlier. Rose looked at Damon then turned her head to look at the body beside her. It was of a girl Louise didn't know. The body of a boy was strewn across the top of the car too. Rose let out a sob.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone..." She cried. Louise could feel her heart breaking for Rose, but her stomach was turn at the sight of the human bodies. She had seen plenty of dead vampires now but not so many dead humans.

"I'm sorry." Rose said to Louise weakly. "I'm so sorry."

Louise wanted to tell her that it was okay, that she knew she hasn't been herself and hadn't meant to hurt anyone, but the words wouldn't leave her mouth. Instead her gaze moved to Damon, who was lifting Rose from the ground into his arms. It was the first time Louise had seen him show any real, genuine concern for anybody other herself and Stefan.

* * *

"Louise?" Elena's voice came through the phone.

"Rose is dead." Louise told her gently. She rubbed her head as she took at seat in the study of the boarding house. It had been an awfully long day and it wasn't quite over yet. "Damon mercy-killed her." She didn't blame Damon for ending Rose's pain - Rose hadn't deserved to die in such a slow and painful way.

Elena swallowed a lump of ice at this news. "Where is he now?"

"He went to show her body to Sheriff Forbes to call off the hunt for any vampires, and then..."

"He has to bury her." Elena finished the sentence, knowing the drill by now. They were both silent for a moment until Elena spoke again. "What about you? How are you doing?"

"Okay, I think." Louise responded honestly. "I'm just worried about Damon." She pulled the phone from a ear for a quick moment to check the time but putting it back. "Actually, can we talk later? I'm about to head out to look for Damon; he's been gone for a while now."

"Alright, but drive safe. Love you."

"Love you too, 'Lena." And with that they hung up.

It was unseasonably cold night outside when Louise stepped out. She wasted no time rushing to her car and flicked the heat on, as she drove through the empty, quiet streets of Mystic Falls. Five minute into her drive, she slammed her foot on the breaks when she saw her boyfriend tearing into a woman's neck. He drained every single drop of blood from her body and the woman fell to the ground.

Dead.

Louise climbed out her car and not bothering to close the car door behind her.

"Damon?" Louise gasped, flitting over to him. He looked at her and his heart broke just staring at the sight of her. He turned his back on her. The brunette looked down at the ground to the dead woman. "Oh god, Damon...what did you do?"

Damon turned to fling her a look she can't decipher over his shoulder. There is something furtive and dark skittering around his eyes that sends a bolt of pure fear through her bloodstream. Horror exploded like a nail bomb in her gut and she almost choked. "Don't ask, Louise. I mean it. You really don't want to know."

"You killed her." He throat was dry as she forcefully ejected the words from between her lips.

"Her name was Jessica." he told her easily, letting those three syllables trip innocently off his tongue as if they mean nothing as if he doesn't have any concept of shame and guilt. "She begged me not to but I ripped her throat out anyway." He shrugged. He heard her sharp intake of breath. "Nothing I haven't done a hundred times. But this time..." He turned around and faced her full on. "And all I could think was, what would Louise say?"

"So...what do you say, Louise? How does it make you feel to know that I can never be who you think I could be, who you want me to be?" Hot tears skipped down her cheeks, the same cheeks he had stroked so tenderly early. She opened and closed her mouth. "I thought as much." He looked away.

"This isn't who you are." Louise finally spoke, her voice coming out in a whisper. "I know that."

"This?" Damon gestured around. "Baby, this is everything I am!" He revelled. "I'm a vampire and eating people is what I do. It's what I'm suppose to do."

"I know your heart and I know your soul, Damon." She stepped closer to him and wiped his mouth with her thumb, trying to get rid of the blood on his mouth. "I see the man you were before Vivienne stole your innocence. I see the man you are now and the man you so desperately want to become, even though you will deny it, because the thought of failing at that haunts you so much that you refuse to even accept that it might be possible."

Damon eyed her carefully.

"But I believe in you, Damon. I know that you can be the better man. You may not be able to be human, but you can reclaim your humanity."

Louise stroked his cheek so gently, as if he were the fragile one. In this moment, he was. A tear spilled onto the brunette's hand as she stroke his cheek. He lifted his head, and her heart ached as she saw his beautiful blue eyes shinning with tears.

* * *

**A/N**

**I wanted this chapter to emphasis how rare it is for Damon to care this much about somebody outside of Louise, especially given that in this story Rose was never a romantic interest. Anyways hope you guys liked this chapter. Review?**


	13. Daddy Issues

**Daddy Issues**

* * *

It was morning and Louise had just returned back from the Salvatore Boarding House. She was planning just to shower and get clean clothes before heading back there but had been halted in her tracks by the sight of John Gilbert. She let out a low groan. "What ae _you_ doing here?

"Coffee?" John offered her as she headed into the kitchen. Louise ignored him. "You're giving me the silent treatment?"

"I asked you a question." Louise pointed out sharply. She hadn't played nice with her birth father last time she'd seen him and she didn't plan to do so now, either.

"Stefan couldn't get hold of Isobel so he got the next best thing." John told her. The brunette snorted.

"The next best thing would have been Vivienne and Katherine." Louise got a sense of satisfaction from seeing her insult had actually gotten him. He was far enough down the rungs for her to say that after what he had tried to do to Damon, and his refusal to help them in the past. Her attention shifted onto the television where Carol Lockwood was talking about hosting a memorial in the town square to honour those have recent passed.

Just then the eldest Gilbert girl stormed into the kitchen.

"Morning." John greeted her. Louise frowned when he turned the television off, muttering something about watching it.

"What are you doing here?" Elena demanded moodily.

"Coffee?" he offered, using the same trick he did not moments ago.

"I think you should practice the art of subtle subject change." Louise muttered and John shot her a look but she merely rolled her eyes.

Elena shook her head. "We're not doing that. We did that last night. No more avoiding. _Why_ are you here?"

"I'm here to protect you. Both of you." John stated. "That's all I can say right now."

The two brunette's responded at the same time, their words overlapping; "Right now?" Louise repeated the two words angrily. "What do you mean that's all you can say?" Elena questioned with quirked eyebrows.

"I'll tell you more when I'm convinced I can trust you."

Louise was outraged at the idea of John Gilbert of all people calling her untrustworthy, but before she could say anything more to him, Jenna and Alaric entered the room, both extremely surprised to find John there.

"What the hell?" Jenna blurted out at the sight of her hated brother-in-law.

"Good morning to you, Jenna." John's eyes flickered towards Alaric who looked uncomfortable with the given situation. "Alaric..."

"It's okay I'm confused, right?" Jenna asked as her eyes bounced between her two nieces. "Because we were not expecting you, like, ever." Jenna's rambling was starting to sound identical to Elena's the night before.

"Well, I got in late last night." John responded with a slight shrug of his shoulders as if that would sooth Jenna. "Elena let me in."

"You know, I'm uh, probably just gonna take off." Alaric announced as he nudged a still gaping Jenna before he slowly edged out of the kitchen and away rom the debacle at present.

"I'm still confused here." Jenna stated, looking around at everyone in the room for answers.

"I decided to come back and stay for a while." John said but made no attempt to explain to Jenna about what the reason was for him staying, much like he had been avoiding with the twins.

Jenna snorted and shook her head. "Not here, you're not."

In typical John fashion, he chose to drop the bombshell that he was Louise and Elena's birth father to Jenna before departing cheerily, leaving the girls to puck up the pieces and explain. Alaric had already made his exit, so the two Gilbert girls were faced with their confused aunt.

"When did you guys find out?" Jenna demanded. "How?"

"I, uh..." Elena began but couldn't find any words. She swallowed, trying to get rid of her dry throat. She looked towards her sister.

Louise hesitated, knowing she couldn't tell the whole truth. "We didn't find out exactly, I had a hunch. You know, I knew that dad had forged our birth records and I thought, why would he do that? Why would Isobel go to him of all doctors? Elena blurted it out to John and he admitted it." She manged to scrape together the safe, supernatural-free version of the story which didn't involve weaspons against vampires and burning vampires alive in her father's old surgery.

"Oh god...why didn't you guys tell me?" Jenna looked a little hurt.

"I personally didn't want it to be true." Louise replied.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you Jenna." Elena added.

* * *

After endless hours of attempting to coax Jenna out of her bedroom, which the older woman had barricaded herself in after John's paternity reveal, Louise was more than grateful when a knock came from the front door and relieved her from her duties as caring niece number one. A duty that had fallen on her in her twin's absence.

The moment Louise pulled open the door, Damon walked through the threshold with a snarl, his eyes scanning around the place. "Where's John?"

"He's not here." Louise sighed. "He left. I don't know where he went. He just blew in, announced to Jenna that he's my dad, and then took off."

Damon stopped scouting the house to look around at her, seeing the distressed look on his girlfriend's face. "That's public knowledge now?"

"Apparently!" Louise answered. Damon's expression softened and he came closer to her.

"Are you okay?"

"The seer looked up at him and shifted, uncertain and eventually nodded. "Yeah. Jenna's head spinning, but I'm okay." It was a little strange having the truth out in the open but as always she felt a little relieved when there was a secret she could actually tell people. Damon reached out to her and Louise gratefully stepped into his arms, loving the feel of his arms around her again. It always felt right, being with Damon.

"He said what he was doing here?" Damon murmured into her hair.

"No. You know, Stefan thinks that he's telling the truth about wanting to help me." Stefan always tried to see the best in even the worst people - it was Louise and Elena's own fatal flaw, usually. But Louise could not trust John; for a man who was supposedly looking out for her, he did have a penchant for trying to kill her friends.

"I don't believe him either." Damon said flatly. Louise stepped away from his embrace to look into his moon-bright eyes. They were glinting dangerously.

"What are we gonna do?" she asked him.

"Kill him." Damon suggested, smirking. Louise hit him on the arm. "Hey! I'm joking. Okay, I'm a _little_ serious."

"I'm not gonna hurt him, Elena. I'm the good guy now, remember?" Damon reminded her teasingly. Louise couldn't help but grin a little bit at that. "I'm gonna have a civil conversation with your father." Her relief vanished as he turned and began to head out the door; there wasn't always a huge gap between conversation and murder when it came to Damon and people he hated. Know this too well, Louise hurried after him.

* * *

It didn't take long to track John down to the Grill. As son as they entered, Damon spotted John harassing Jenna and Alaric on the other side. John noticed the two of them almost as quickly.

"We just need answers." Louise muttered to him out the corner of her mouth as they crossed the Grill. "Please don't do anything stupid." Damon chuckled and reached down between them to take her hand.

"Like I'd risk losing you again over John Gilbert." he said disdainfully, but managed to keep a smiled on his face as that met John; the façade was very import.

"John, buddy, how have you been?" Damon offered his hand to Louise's birth father, who shook it reluctantly.

"It's been alright, Damon. It's good to see you." John said, managing to not cringe even as Damon threatened to crush his fingers.

Everyone in the Grill was lighting candles in memorial of the victims of recent supposed animal attacks. Damon kept his distance from John until he could spot him alone, lighting a candle off to the side. Thinking that they never had been a memorial for the vampires John had burnt alive, Damon approached him from behind, glad that they could finally drop their pretence of friendliness.

"So, John. Rumour has it that you know a _lot_, and won't say anything."

"I'm not here to fight you, Damon." John replied, sounding tired. This was news to him. John turned to look at the vampire. "How do I know you can be trusted, Damon? Originals can compel vampires. And, according to Stefan, that's why Vivienne and Katherine are still in the tomb, because an Original has compelled them to stay there.

"Only because all of the vervain had left their systems. Stefan and I, on the other hand, are chock full." Damon informed him. John actually looked a little surprised.

"You guys are drinking vervain?"

"It's an acquired taste." Damon said mildly. "I don't see that magic little ring on your stitched finger, I could easily threaten you now, but I promised Louise I'd be civil. So if you know something about Klaus, you better start talking..."

"Damon, believe it or not, I trust you when it come to keeping Louise safe. But I need to know that I can trust you, Damon, that I can count on you. Then we'll talk."

Damon watched John's departure before heading over to the bar. He was none the wised as to what John was doing back here or what he could possibly do to help Louise, if that was even his plan. He was pondering this when another of Louise' relative came to the bar with another woman in tow.

"I know you." Damon announced, glancing at the woman with disinterest. "The news lady."

**"**Yeah, Andie Star." She gushed. "Nice to meet you. Can I buy you a drink, Damon?" Damon looked at Jenna, confused. Why would Louise's try to set him up with someone else? Of course, they haven't broke the news to her that him and Louise were official but it still seemed like a strange precedent. He glanced over his shoulder, and sure enough Louise was watching him with a frown on her face.

**"**My glass is all full, Andie. Thank you." he said bluntly, not bothering to be polite. He saw the surprise cross Andie's face, obviously not somebody use to being rejected, but he simply left and re-joined Louise.

"You didn't have to be rude."

"Oh, yes I did. Best to nip these things in the bud sometimes." Damon replied, finishing his drink in one huge gulp and putting his glass down. Louise's eyes were glinting a little bit and he felt a little flush of warmth in spite of his prevalent grief. "Would you rather I go over there and have a drink with her? Maybe grab a late bite? Of either kind?" He added, realising the pun.

"Okay, fine, but you could have more tact." She laughed lightly.

"And in case you haven't noticed, I have a thing for the doe-eyed, innocent looking ones." he teased, nudging her gently. She gave him a playful shove.

"I know you are not calling me innocent and doe-eyed!" She paused to contemplate, pursing her lips as she did. "Okay maybe I do have the eyes going on but I will not accept accusations of innocence." She wagged a finger of warning in his direction. He grinned at her before his brows furrowed when a thought came to mind.

"What's your aunt doing trying to set me up with her anyway?"

"I think Jenna thinks I should steer clear of you and your clearly troubled soul."

Elena soon entered the Grill, interrupting the couple to deliver a message from Stefan. Once Elena relayed the information; Caroline had been kidnapped, obviously by the werewolves; which meant that Tyler had spilt the beans. Louise and Damon looked at each other; Louise's expression was one of worry and Damon's was of fury.

"Not here." Damon murmured warningly, before indicating to the restrooms. Elena sighed and Louise nodded, letting him go first. The two brunettes followed after him.

"Tyler Lockwood knows?" Damon demanded. "Why am I just finding out about this now?" Louise bit her lip guiltily. In all honestly, most of what was going with Caroline, Tyler and her other friends had slipped her mind recently in light of all that had been going on with Elijah and then Rose dying.

**"**Stefan was worried that you." Elena was the one to respond. "He thought you might-"

"That I'll what? That I'd kill him?" Damon suggested. "Of course, it's what's need to happen."

"Damon." Elena warned, looking at her sister. She nodded her head towards the vampire. He had already killed Mason Lockwood, they did not need another one on the list - especially not Tyler, who would never have intentionally put Caroline in harm's way. The two had grown close since Tyler had triggered his curse.

**"**Damon, not Tyler." Louise said firmly. "Do whatever you need to do to get Caroline back but just leave Tyler out of it, okay?" she implored. Damon's expression was inscrutable.

"Why?" he asked her.

"Too many people are already dead, Damon." Louise pleaded softly. "Please." He looked at her for a long moment.

"I don't have to play the good guy because it's you who's asking, Louise." he told her heavily. She nodded and he could see that she realised this but was asking anyway. "We'll get Caroline back, Louise." He promised. Before she could do so much as thank Damon, however, they were interrupted by the entrance of John in the bathroom. Both Louise and Elena scowled at the sight of him.

"Do you mind?" Damon snapped.

"What's going on?" John wanted to know, looking between Damon, Louise and Elena as he asked.

"Nothing." Louise answer obstinately.

"It doesn't look like nothing." he insisted. Damon casted an annoyed look over his shoulder at him.

It was a order, not a question, but John had a stubborn expression which informed Damon only too well that he wasn't going to do so as he was told - not that Damon had really expected him to.

Elena sighed tiredly. "Look, we don't have time for this."

"Elena's right. We need to get Caroline back." Louise agreed.

"We don't need to do anything." Damon insisted in response. "I'll take care of it. First dad duty," He added as he wheeled around to face John for the first time. "Ground your daughter. Keep them here." He left before either Louise or Elena could protest, though he could hear them arguing with John as he departed.

* * *

Louise felt satisfied in her choice to trust Elijah when he sent in a witch to protect Caroline, Stefan and Damon from the werewolves, but the entire situation didn't sit well with her. Her friend had been kidnapped and tortured while Tyler simply watched, and somehow, in the middle of it, Louise was a sitting duck, waiting to see what would happen next.

There was no such thing as a normal day in Mystic Falls anymore and things were only getting stranger by the day. Her feeling of confusion left her when she closed the fridge door to find John waiting for her on the other side of it. After that all she felt was the same surge of irritation and dislike that she always did when she was met with him.

"I'm sorry about earlier." he told her by a way of greeting.

"Enough already." Louise snapped. "I don't want you there. I can't make it any more clear." He claimed to be there to protect her and Elena, but Louise didn't need his protection, nor did she want it. She didn't want anything from him.

"I didn't come here to fight with you, Louise." John began.

"Yeah, I know. You came here to protect me. Get in line." She spat fiercely. She cocked her head to the side. "Have you tried this conversation with Elena? Because if a trusting and gullible twin you're looking for you've got the wrong sister."

"I thought you might want this." he said, holding out a pretty bracelet. "It was your mother's." Louise looked at it hesitantly, not really knowing what the word 'mother' meant anymore.

"Isobel?" she questioned uncertainly as he handed it to her.

"No, your mother, Miranda. I remember her wearing it when she was young - I found it in a box, with some things that your dad left me. It's yours now." John explained.

Louise closed her hand on the bracelet, befuddled. She didn't really have anything of her adopted parents anymore, nothing of her mother's to hold onto until now. She would feel touched by this it it hadn't come from John. Still, she didn't let the bracelet go as she look at him uncertainly.

"Miranda and Grayson were your parents, Louise, and I know I'm nothing to you. You have no reason to believe me or trust me." He acknowledged with a deep sigh. "I've done so many horrible things, but when you lost your parents, I lost my brother, my family. I lost my way. I know that I probably won't ever make things right with you, but I'm gonna do everything I can to protect you and protect this family.

Numb, Louise let John leave, not knowing how to respond or what to say. Her fingers were curled around the bracelet tightly, but she held her breath until the lump in her throat died. She could understand now why John was so keen to help her - but still he had to go some way to prove himself.

When Elena entered the kitchen moments later, she caught sight of the piece of jewellery in her sister's hand. "What's that?"

"Oh..." Louise looked around the kitchen, almost reliving the conversation, but her gaze returned to Elena, she sighed. "Did you hear?"

"Yeah. I just thought you might not wanna talk about it."

"I don't believe him. Not after what he did." Louise insisted in a hard voice, shaking her head.

"That's okay." Elena admitted softly. "I don't believe him either. The guy set a building on fire and nearly killed Stefan and Damon. I'll never trust him."

Louise nodded and wiped the stray tears from her eyes. When she turned her head, she found Stefan. Damon had filled her in on everything that'd gone on that night. Elena immediately rushed into her boyfriend's arms.

Pulling back from their embrace, Elena looked up at the vampire. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. But I could use your guys help..."

When Stefan had said he needed help, Louise had thought he meant that he needed her to convince Damon to keep Tyler alive. For once, there was nothing dark about what he needed help with.

Louise, Elena and Bonnie had packed what they needed and Stefan drove the the three girls over to Caroline's house. She'd been kicked while she was down and needed cheering up, and the girls had agreed that a slumber party was the best way to do that. After the past few days, Louise was relieved and happy to be doing something normal again.

Stefan walked up to Caroline's front doorstep alone and knocked on the door, waiting patiently. After a moment, the blonde opened it dressed in a robe with her hair wet from the shower she'd said she'd take.

"Hey!" Caroline greeted. "What's going on?"

"I was a bit worried about you, after everything you went through tonight." Stefan replied.

"I'm fine." Caroline responded immediately.

"Good." The male vampire nodded. " But, just in case, I brought some back up..." On cue, Louise, Elena and Bonnie stepped out from behind him, taking her by surprise.

Elena was the first in line of the girls. "We're gonna slumber it."

"Like we use to." Louise nodded, following her sister's lead.

"We haven't done it in ages." Bonnie added as she joined the three girls.

Caroline burst into tears, smiling from ear to ear as she hugged the trio, clearly as happy as they were to be doing something ordinary for a change, especially after the day she'd had. As the girls were hugging, Elena looked over Caroline's shoulder at her boyfriend, who was standing in the doorway.

"I love you." she mouthed. With a smile on his face, he mouthed the same back to her. He nodded once he realised he done something good before departing.

"Hey, do you wanna go inside?" Elena was the first to speak after the four girls had stood in the doorway for what felt like minutes. She had noticed that Caroline's body was no longer trembling and that the sobbing had stopped. She felt like it was finally the right moment to say something.

Caroline lifted her head from Bonnie's shoulder. Her face was wet with tears and her hair was sticking to her cheeks until the witch brushed it out of her face. She nodded and took a step forward to close the door before turning back around to face her friends. There was so much the blonde wanted to say, so much she wanted, Bonnie, Louise and Elena to know. But she felt exhausted from crying to say much to anything.

"I really missed our slumber parties." Was all she could manage. For her friends it was more than enough. They smiled at her, feeling relieved about the way her face had lit up just a little. "First, I really need to do my hair. You know how awful it looks when I don't take care of it after showering right?" Caroline rolled her eyes which caused the three to laugh.

"Why don't you let me help you with your hair? I can do it?" Louise offered smiling. Bonnie nodded encouragingly at her.

Soon enough, they were all in Caroline's room. While Bonnie and Elena changed into their pj's, Caroline was sat at Louise's feet as the brunette braided her wet hair, strands of darkened gold slipping through her fingers. Louise couldn't help but remember doing this when they were a little younger - remembering Caroline demanding that she would re-do the braid when it came loose because Louise had the steadiest hands. It brought a warm and loving glow of fondness to boil in the seer's chest.

The foursome exhausted themselves running around Caroline's house, making junk food, gossiping and catching up on everything that'd been going on.

* * *

**A/N; ****Here's another chapter., that's three updates in a week! I'm on a role haha. Thank you to everyone who takes the time out to read and drop a review.**

**My responses to reviews;**

**AB0918: Yes, I'm back! Thank you, I'm so happy you're enjoying it.**

**ikran . feysal: Glad you like! Yes, I would say Klaus tortures Vivienne more than Katherine.**


End file.
